


Legend: Book One

by Stormlight (Quickening)



Series: Legend [1]
Category: Fushigi Yuugi
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-05 04:56:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 73,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/719120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quickening/pseuds/Stormlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>KC ONLY wanted to find some information for an assignment. What better place than a library, right? Hey, now, who put that man-eating book over there? The Girl of what? The Priestess of WHO? She REALLY shouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wherein Our Heroine is Introduced

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi. I am merely borrowing the characters (and their world) to write this story, and I promise to put them all back again when I'm finished.
> 
> I do, however, own this story and any character and plot points not related to the original FY universe that appear within. No stealing. It's not nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a newly edited edition of book one, just for overall improvement in reading. Nothing important plot-wise has changed, just tweaks here and there so I could reacquaint myself with the story and characters. Thanks in large part to a few recent amazing reviews I got, I've been inspired to blow the dust off this story and attempt to work on book 2 again. Thank you, reviewers. I appreciate the critique and praise.

   "Kit-Kat! Christmas is only two days away! And it's Christmas vacation, starting today!" came Brady Summers' horribly off-key declaration as she leaped onto Katriana "KC" Choinski's back, which caused the much-shorter girl to stumble into a line of lockers with a pained yelp.

   "Yeah, and apparently I'm not gonna live to see it if _you_ have anything to say about it, Elephant-butt," KC grumbled as she pushed herself away from the metal wall. She scowled and pulled up a sleeve to examine her elbow, which had already darkened with the beginning of a bruise. "How many times have I told you _not_ to call me Kit-Kat?" she added. "Do I look like a candy bar?"

   "Well, _somebody's_ in a pissy mood." Brady tossed her red curls haughtily and drew herself to her full and very thin supermodel-height of six feet and two inches. She pouted playfully down at her friend, who stood a very unimpressive height of five-foot-four, with no expectation of ever growing another inch in the future.

   KC had never understood why she was so short when her parents were so tall (six feet even, the both of them). Her father used to joke that she actually came from a family of midgets and had been secretly switched at birth. All she knew was that once she'd hit thirteen and her current height, her body decided all on its own that it had done enough growing. Unfortunately, this included her chest. It was to her eternal discomfiture that she wore the same cup size at age sixteen as she had at age thirteen, with little hope for further growth _there_ , either.

   "So here I am, trying to wish you holiday cheer, and you're calling me fat." Brady continued to pout. "Is that any way to treat your best friend?"

   Unconcerned, KC rolled her eyes, long used to Brady's penchant for playing the drama queen. She was about to offer a catty retort when a new voice cut in, "Come on, Brady. We all know the only fat you've got on your body is the stuff in your head where your brain ought to be."

   She cracked up as a petite, smirking girl with short, glossy black hair and eyes the color of chocolate stopped beside them, her arms overloaded with books and papers.

   "What is this, the 'Let's Insult Brady Brigade'?" the red-head complained good-naturedly.

   "Hi, Kimiko," KC greeted as she eyeballed the newcomer's swaying stack of books doubtfully. "I see you're trying to bury yourself in homework again. You know, that stack just doesn't look deep enough to do the job properly. Maybe if we try adding mine to the pile…"

   "Nice try, KC. Maybe you should follow my example and actually do your own work. Then you wouldn't have to fake your mom's signature on your report card all the time," Kimiko Yura shot back. Brady tittered and KC pulled a face at them both and hoisted her pack over her shoulder.

   "I can't go Christmas shopping with you this afternoon," she grumped.

   "What?" Brady yelped, nearly dropping her bag. "But … but the cheerful holiday music! The jolly old Saint Nick! Our customary Peppermint Mocha Trio at the coffee shop! And … and the _sales_! How can you _miss_ that?"

   "The hoards of rabid parents running each other down in a desperate attempt to grab the very last Must-Buy-or-I-Have-Failed-as-a-Parent toy of the season. How can you miss _that_?" Kimiko deadpanned.

   KC's lips twitched despite herself. "Can't be helped. Ms. Brown gave us a huge world history assignment. I'm talking, like, half-our-yearly-grade huge, here. She assigned us all periods of history which we have to thoroughly research and then write a thirty-page essay about our findings. Thirty pages! And it's due right after vacation, which means I'll probably have to spend most of _mine_ looking up the finer details of ancient China. What do I know about China? Why do I _care_ about China? It's not like I'm ever gonna _go_ there or anything! I'm thoroughly convinced that woman is the reincarnation of Ebeneezer Scrooge!"

   "Well, that could be feasible," Kimiko began slowly, "if Scrooge was, you know, an actual _person_ and all…"

   Brady laughed. "Weren't you the one who insisted on taking world history instead of normal American history like us common folk?" she teased as they headed for the parking lot. Or rather, attempted to squeeze their way through the double doors along with the rest of the school's population, all at the same time. "World history is, like, an advanced class, and you're not exactly an honor student."

   "That was before I knew I had the Grinch for a teacher," KC grunted as she managed to pull herself free from the squirming tangle of arms, legs, and book bags. A gust of cold air hit her in the face, stung her nose and forced several explosive sneezes from her lungs. " _Urgh_. I _swear_ I'b allergic to cold!" She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

   "Ew, use a tissue, would you?" Brady wrinkled her nose in distaste. "And, like, cover your mouth while you're at it! I don't wanna catch whatever you've got and ruin my holiday."

   "Your unfailing sympathy towards my health gives me warm fuzzies all over." KC pulled a face at her. "Anyway, like I was saying, history is one of my _better_ subjects, so I figured taking an advanced course couldn't hurt my GPA any."

   "Yeah. Unless you _fail_ it," Kimiko snorted.

   "Oh, hush up, you Einstein wannabe."

   "Are you _sure_ you don't want to come with us? A little shopping fortification before hitting the books will give you strength!" Brady pleaded.

   KC hesitated. "Weeelll…"

   "C'mon! _Peppermint. Mocha. Trio._ "

   "You don't have to rub it in," she pouted.

   Kimiko sighed and rolled her eyes. "Look," she began practically as she checked her watch. "It's twelve-thirty. We can drop you off at the library by, say, one o'clock. Just find some material in the reference section and photocopy the pages you need. It doesn't cost very much. Then from there take the bus to the mall and meet us in the food court by three o'clock. There! You get your research _and_ your limited holiday coffee, all in one go."

   "And this is why you're a genius!" Brady gave the short girl a hearty whack on the back that nearly dislodged her stack of books.

   "Mmmmm." KC seriously considered it. "I still have to type and print the report, though," she reminded them. "I don't want to make any return trips if I can help it."

   "Can't you just do that on your own computer?" Brady asked.

   "Nope. Only one in the house is Mom's work computer, and she banned me from so much as looking at it, remember?"

   "Oh yeah. Didn't you accidentally delete an entire project she'd been working on for her office?" Kimiko nudged her in the side.

   "That happened _two years_ ago," KC grumbled. "She's totally unreasonable. It was just a simple mistake! _Anyone_ could have done it."

   "Somehow, I doubt it." Kimiko laughed at her expression. "Look, I'll be nice and let you borrow my computer and printer, okay? I won't even charge you for the ink. Consider it a Christmas present."

   "Thank you!" KC threw her arms around her. "And _this_ is why you're the bestest friend _ever_!"

   "Hey! What does that make me?" Brady protested, pouting.

   The two girls exchanged glances. "You're like the comic relief," Kimiko decided as KC laughed.

   "Oh, hah hah. Keep it up and y'all can just _walk_ to the mall." Brady haughtily tossed her curls and strolled toward her Cavalier, a sweet little convertible painted bright yellow. It had been a sixteenth birthday present from her parents three months ago. KC had gotten a gift card to Sears and a pack of underwear for her sixteenth birthday. That was from her mom. Her dad, who resided somewhere in Chicago, apparently forgot she even _had_ a birthday.

   "Let's see now…" Brady hummed a little, off-key tune (really, the girl couldn't hold a proper note to save her life) as she pulled out her keys and pressed the button on the fob to unlock the car.

   The parking lot immediately filled with an ear-shattering blast of noise that sounded roughly like a cross between a tornado alarm and a scalded cat. The wails dragged the eyes of every student in the lot toward the car and the three girls who stood beside it.

   Two of which not-so-subtly attempted to crawl into the asphalt and hide.

   Looking properly sheepish, Brady hastily pushed the red button to silence the alarm. "Eh-heh. Oops! My bad!" she chirped, as cute and innocent as any anime heroine ever invented. The female students all rolled their eyes in jealousy while the males stood around and swooned in the face of Brady's brilliant, sheepish smile.

   KC and Kimiko just looked at each other and rolled their eyes heavenward.

   "Third time this week. And it's only Tuesday." Kimiko's sigh spoke of extreme exasperation.

   "I'd _swear_ she does it on purpose," KC agreed.

* * *

   KC breathed in the scent of old books and dust as she entered the library half an hour later. "Stupid history teacher and her stupid assignments," she grumbled as she made her way to the research section, intent on her goal. She waved to one or two familiar faces as she beelined for the ancient, slightly-battered cabinets containing the numerous file cards of the Dewey Decimal System.

   Every other year or so, the head librarian and the head of the town council threw a big hoopla to raise money for a new computer network for the library, in order to modernize the entire system. This had been happening for at least the past ten years. So far, the most modern equipment KC had seen in that library were the secondhand IBM computers that still used eight-inch floppy disks and a few dot matrix printers. All of which had probably existed during the Reagan administration. The huge, antique Tandy behind the librarian's desk was even older than _that._

   After another fifteen minutes of browsing, KC finally reached the irritating conclusion that the library didn't have a single book on her subject. There were plenty of books on China, but they were all about the modernized country, not the ancient one. "It figures," she groused, snatched her bag from the dusty floor and stomped toward the desk, behind which an elderly lady sat and slowly tapped away on an ancient keyboard. After two minutes had slowly ticked by, during which the librarian continued to be oblivious to her presence, KC shook her head with a wry smile. Mrs. Potter was a sweet old lady, but not exactly the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, sometimes. She had been working at the library for as long as anyone could remember; she was probably there before the Tandy had ever made its appearance. Maybe even before Dewey Decimal.

   After another minute passed and Mrs. Potter still showed no sign of awareness, KC finally succumbed to a noisy bout of throat-clearing. The tapping faltered and stopped, and watery blue eyes framed by a pair of old-fashioned granny spectacles turned toward the girl. "May I help you, young lady?" Mrs. Potter asked politely. "Are you lost?"

   KC held back a grin, despite her sour mood. "I'm not lost. I've been visiting this library since I was six. I even worked here for the past three summers as a volunteer, remember?"

   Mrs. Potter squinted and adjusted her glasses, and then her face broke out into a delighted smile. "Why, Katriana Choin-sky! It's been so long since I've seen you, dear! How have you been?"

   KC was forced to hold back another grin. "Just as well as I was last week. You know, when Mom had you over for dinner on Friday? And, it's _Cho-in-skee_." Really. If that woman ever learned how to pronounce her name, the earth just might violently heave itself off its own axis.

   "Oh, of course, you're right." Mrs. Potter tittered as she shook her head. "I get a little absentminded now and again. Comes with old age, I guess." She patted her silvery hair. "Now, Miss Choin-sky, what may I help you with?" She smiled amiably behind her wire-rimmed spectacles and folded her hands primly on the desk. KC could almost swear she saw a teasing sparkle in the woman's eyes. She refrained from rolling hers as she replied, "I was wondering if you could let me into the back rooms, where all the old reference materials are kept, the ones they don't put out for common use."

   Mrs. Potter pursed her lips. "Oh, I don't know, dear, only employees are allowed back there. The books are old and can be easily damaged, you see."

   "I know, and I wouldn't ask, but I've got this huge essay due and I can't find any books with the information I need. This would really help me out." KC held her breath as the woman pondered, glanced surreptitiously at the clock behind the desk. One-thirty. Time was wasting. Maybe she should just go to Kimiko's house after the mall and use her internet to research. She didn't know much about the net but Kimiko was a computer wiz. She'd get her the required info in no time.

   Just as she was about to tell Mrs. Potter to forget the whole thing, the librarian finally reached a decision. She gave a brief, precise nod and opened a drawer to pull out a set of keys. "You're a responsible young lady, so I think it will be fine to allow you to do your research." She picked a tarnished brass skeleton key out of the bunch, along with a much newer and smaller steel key. "This is the key to the lower reference room located in the basement. And this is the key to the basement. Now, mind you, the library closes at five o'clock, and you really aren't supposed to be down there, even if you do volunteer every summer. So make sure you don't let Charley see you. He'll be around about a quarter to four, to make sure the doors are locked and the lights are out."

   "Thanks, Mrs. Potter. You're the best!" KC could hardly believe her luck! She snatched the keyring from the woman's hand and darted toward the basement stairs. She managed to skid into the corner of a bookcase on the way.

   "Walk, dear!" came Mrs. Potter's amused reprimand.

   " _Ow_ ," was KC's answering complaint as she slowed her run to a more sedate pace; a fresh bruise was already forming on her other arm. "At least they match now," she grumbled as she attempted to rub the ache out of her tender elbows.


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole (in a Manner of Speaking)

   KC had never liked the basement. It was dark and smelled like mildew and old parchment, and it looked like a dungeon, having been built somewhere in the early nineteenth century. It was creepy and cold and as if that wasn't bad enough, one of the librarians had told her the building was once used as a temporary courthouse before the official courthouse had been completed, a hundred and fifty years ago. It was rumored that some of the less _pleasant_ sentences had been carried out in that very basement, and sometimes one could still sense the spirits of those dead criminals wandering around, seeking vengeance.

   Needless to say, KC avoided going down there during her volunteer days as often as possible. She wasn't superstitious by nature, but she'd seen too many horror movies with similar settings to ever feel comfortable being in one. Sometimes she cursed her overactive imagination. Now, of course, was one of those times, when her eyes kept trying to show her things she was sure weren't really there. Such as the large, bulky shape half-hidden behind an old bookcase. Surely that wasn't _really_ the serial ax murderer she'd seen on a bad slasher flick the other day…

   KC clenched her teeth and clung desperately to her wavering courage as she darted through the large room, dodging broken chairs, spare shelves, packing boxes, and cobwebs left and right. She miraculously managed to _not_ kill herself as her boots thudded dully on the packed-dirt floor, and finally, she reached the other side where a large, decidedly-modern door heralded the entrance to the basement reference room.

   She could practically feel the breath of those alleged vengeful spirits ghosting down her neck—which was kinda stupid, really, considering spirits didn't breathe—as she sought to get the key into the lock. Was it her imagination, or did she just hear something rustle behind her? It had sounded suspiciously like wingbeats.

   "Ack! Bats!" she squeaked and redoubled her efforts. She hated bats almost as much as she hated vengeful spirits, and unlike spirits, bats were real and showed absolutely no distinction between a moth and a human head; they seemed to dive-bomb either one with no discretion at all. She knew this from personal experience.

   Another rustle of wings and a faint, high-pitched shriek reached her ears, and she nearly bolted from the room. Did bats shriek? She thought she remembered watching a documentary about bats in South America, and she was pretty sure those bats had shrieked. Of course, the suburbs of Boston were as far from South America as a person could get, but what if some had escaped from the zoo or something? There was a zoo in Boston, right?

   KC managed to drop the keyring twice as she dodged imaginary bats winging overhead, wasted even more precious moments trying to pick the right silver key out of the bazillion other silver keys on the ring. "Can't they _label_ these things?" she complained as she inserted the fifth key into the lock and turned it. She was rewarded with a faint click as it released. In another moment, she'd darted inside the room and tripped over its raised cement floor before she slammed the door behind her. Whew. Safe. Let's see rabid bats try to dive-bomb her head in _there_. She took a calming breath, and immediately began to feel silly over her unreasonable panic attack. Whoever heard of South American bats living in basements, anyway? Attics would be _much_ more to their liking.

   KC glanced around the room to gather her bearings. Dim light streamed in from overhead windows, their barred, street-level glass liberally coated with outdoor grime. It gave the room a dark, murky appearance, shadowed the tall bookcases that stood in straight lines across the expanse of the floor and along the walls. The shelves were filled with dusty tomes as thick as her arm and probably as heavy as Kimiko's backpack. There was a decidedly modern computerized panel just beside her head; after a moment's examination, she realized it was for a climate-control system. Well, that made sense. Hundred-year-old texts probably wouldn't survive the cold humidity of the basement without one. More importantly, there was also a light switch, which she flipped on. A row of overhead fluorescent lights crackled to life and flooded the room with electric brilliance.

   She draped her coat over the back of a chair and dropped her heavy pack on the floor beside it, headed toward the shelves to start searching the rows of books. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for but hoped all the same that she'd find it. The titles were worn and hard to read, and she found herself squinting to make out the illegible print. Some of these books were really _old_ , she realized. The titles had been stamped into the leather covers, not just printed on with ink, and the covers themselves looked cracked, dry and brittle. She wondered if any of them were worth anything.

   She finally came upon a book that seemed promising, perched on a shelf directly over her head. She tilted her head and squinted to read the worn title printed on its spine with fancy, scrolled lettering. "'The Histories of the Orient'. Bingo!" she exclaimed, and reached up to pull the huge volume from its shelf. She probably should have looked for a stepladder. Or even a chair. But time was wasting, and KC was impatient. So, ignoring all semblance of common sense, she gripped the bottom of the heavy book and yanked. Hard.

   She got the book easily enough. Unfortunately, she got its neighbor along with it, whose faded ribbon page-marker had somehow gotten caught beneath the weight of the first book, thereby dragging it forward and straight off the shelf. Needless to say, she was a bit surprised to suddenly find herself flat on her back with two rather large and unwieldy books cradled haphazardly in her arms, squeezing the breath from her lungs.

   "Boy, am I glad no one was around to see that," she wheezed and pushed the heavy tomes off her body so she could sit up. She didn't feel injured, but she wasn't sure she could say the same about the books. She checked the first volume over, noted with relief that it didn't seem any worse for wear from its impromptu tumble off the shelf. The second book, however, had a very obvious crease right down the middle of its cover. She bit her lip; the bend may or may not have already been there, but she'd been too busy trying to dodge the thing before it landed on her head to actually get a good look at it beforehand.

   "Mrs. Potter's gonna skin me alive," she groaned, attempting to unbend the stiff leather as much as possible without cracking it. "I wonder how much of my life savings I'll have to give up to pay for this. So much for a new car." She pounded her forehead against the book a few times, then sat with her eyes closed and wondered if it was at all possible to start the entire day over again. "I really hate my life," she decided with a heavy sigh and opened her eyes.

 _That_ was when she noticed the third book not three inches from her knee, its red cover a shocking contrast to the dark brown, nearly black leather of its neighbors. She blinked a few times and wondered how she'd missed seeing it as she slowly reached out to touch the small volume. It _felt_ real enough. It must have been stuck between the other two books. Given that it wasn't even half their size and barely thicker than her index finger, it was no wonder she hadn't noticed. It also looked old, the cover faded and a bit worn around the edges. She picked it up carefully, hoping she hadn't damaged that one, as well. There was a bird imprinted on the cover with a long tail. It looked kind of like a peacock. Over it, a title had been embossed in golden letters. _Chinese_ letters.

   " _Yes!_ " For a moment, excitement returned as she opened the book, only to fade again when she realized the pages were also printed in the same foreign language. "Well, damn it." She glared down at the brief message scrawled on the first page, as if it was the book's fault she was straight back at square one. The paper was thin, delicate and nearly translucent from age. The vague outlines of an illustration on the opposite side caught her attention, so she idly flipped the page for a better look.

   She was completely unprepared for the flood of brilliant, crimson light that burst from the pages and engulfed her in a hazy, red glow. The sound of wingbeats returned, nearly deafening as they thrummed the air all around her, and she screamed and hurled the book away.

   Well, she _tried_ to, anyway.

   Only instead of flying across the room, the book simply hung in midair, all by itself, as the light continued to pour from its pages. She gaped stupidly at the spectacle before belatedly realizing that the book appeared to be moving closer. Or rather, the book wasn't moving, she was! It was pulling her across the floor right to where the light burned brightest. A horrifying realization occurred that she was actually about to be pulled into the book.

   She screamed again and whipped around to race full-speed to the exit. Only she wasn't getting anywhere and to her horror, the shelves, the walls, even the floors began to turn translucent, to fade right out from under her.

   A folding chair somehow got itself tangled in her legs, and she landed with a pained gasp on the floor, which still felt solid enough, even though she could see right through it. The pull got stronger and she felt herself being dragged backward, felt her body leave solid ground. She shrieked and scrabbled for purchase, clawed at the floor, grasped shelves and whatever else she could lay hands on. She saw her pack and lunged for it; her hand just barely caught one of its straps before the red light flared brilliantly, and then she was falling, falling through a swirling red and black vortex, as stars and light and the fading library room spun around and around.

   The darkness of oblivion rose behind her eyes and she knew no more.

   The Chinese tome hung suspended for another long moment, still glowing softly with eerie power. Finally, the red light flickered, died, and the book dropped to the ground with a dull pat, an ordinary object once again.

 


	3. Wherein She (Sort of) Meets the Emperor

   KC awoke to a dull pain throbbing in her head and an even greater pain throbbing in her neck. Brought on, she discovered, by the highly uncomfortable position in which she found herself, sprawled against a cold stone wall, her head bent so far forward that her chin touched her collarbone. "Ugh," she croaked and rolled away from the wall. She rubbed her stiff neck. "What a bizarre dream." She had never known how uncomfortably bumpy a concrete floor could be when one laid on it for too long. It almost felt like she had actual rocks digging into her—

   " _Wait_ a minute."

   Her eyes snapped open and immediately shut again when, instead of long, fluorescent tube lights in their metal casings, brilliant midday sunlight greeted her with a blinding glare. "I'm outside? How the hell did I get out _here_?" She crawled stiffly to her feet and squinted until her eyes adjusted. Had Charley found her and just dumped her out into the street? That bum! What kind of security guard _was_ he, anyway? She frowned and patted the back of her jeans. They were wet through. So was the back of her shirt, and her hair felt damp. Wherever she was, it had apparently rained, and she'd been laying in it for who _knew_ how long.

   She rubbed her chilled arms and gazed around, disoriented. Something didn't feel right. Maybe it was just the bump on her head talking, but … this didn't _look_ like Juniper Street. In fact, this didn't even look like her cit _y_. The buildings were all wrong. Most of them weren't more than a story high, unlike the apartment buildings and department stores lining the streets of her home. They were simple constructions of wood and clay, with reddish tile that looked like split bamboo shoots on their roofs. They all held an old-fashioned, foreign look, like something out of a kung-fu movie.

   Or maybe something straight out of ancient China.

   "Oh man oh man oh man…" KC fisted her hands into her dark brown hair and stared around in complete bewilderment. "That dream," she mumbled. "That _was_ only a dream, right? Or … or maybe _this_ is the dream and I'm really still back in the library and … I'm in some kind of a coma or something." She sank to her haunches and lowered her head between her knees, took deep, deliberate breaths to steady her shattering nerves.

   "Okay. Okay." She nodded to herself. "Panicking is not going to help. Mind-numbing terror sure as _hell_ won't help. Gotta figure out what's going on. This is just some sort of a bizarre dream or hallucination or something, so all I have to do is wake up or snap myself out of it somehow. Right. No problem."

   She closed her eyes and _willed_ herself awake.

   "Okay. I'm going to wake up … _now_." She waited. " _Any_ second." She waited some more, and pinched her thigh viciously, just to help herself along. She was rewarded with nothing but a sore thigh. "Ow. Wait. I'm not supposed to _feel_ that. If I feel it, I'm not asleep. But, I can't be _awake_ because I'm in the middle of … of … _crap_! Where the hell _am I_?" Out of pure frustration, she hopped to her feet and kicked a rock out of her path. It skittered across the dirt and smacked off another wall with a sharp crack.

   "This isn't a dream," she breathed, incredulous. "That book actually sucked me into some Chinese city?" She wasn't sure what disturbed her more; the fact that she was all alone in a foreign city on the other side of the world, or the fact that she'd gotten there by being _eaten_ _alive_ by a frickin' _library book_. And if she actually managed to get herself out of this mess, she was _never_ setting foot inside a library _ever again_.

   She leaned against the wall and worried a lip as she tried to plan. If you were lost in the forest, you were supposed to stay where you were until a rescue party showed up. But this wasn't a forest and she wasn't expecting anyone to come looking for her anytime soon. She'd just end up starving to death or being devoured by wild dogs or something. And as she'd had quite enough of being devoured for one lifetime, the better option was probably to go look around and attempt to get her bearings. Maybe she'd find a police station or something to help her?

   She pushed off from the wall and started walking, but had barely taken two steps before she nearly tripped over the backpack at her feet. She blinked down at it, surprised. It had come with her? She vaguely recalled grabbing hold of it, in the very unlikely hope that its weight would be enough to anchor her to the real world. She snorted in disgust and gave it a light kick. "Fat lot of help _you_ turned out to be," she grumbled and stooped to pick it up and sling it over her shoulders.

   It was nearly as damp as her shirt, and she could only hope that it hadn't soaked up too much moisture. She'd have a pretty hard time explaining why all of her textbooks had to be replaced due to water damage. At least the contents of the purse she'd also stuffed inside the backpack should be safe. Which was a good thing since she packed some expensive electronics. With _her_ piddling allowance, the digital point-and-shoot camera and iPod would not be easy to replace should they end up waterlogged.

   But not a phone, she thought with a scowl. Not anything as useful in this predicament as a cell phone. To think, all those months spent trying to talk her mother into buying one—for use in case of emergencies, of course—and every time being firmly rebuffed with the simple argument of, "You never do anything that might put you into an emergency in the first place, so what's the point of wasting money?"

   KC smirked. And wouldn't her mom just shit a brick if she discovered the emergency her daughter was in right at that moment.

   "Well, come on, feet," she muttered, hitched her pack higher and started down the road. Or, maybe that was too generous a description. The cobbled path she followed seemed too narrow for an actual street, although faint tracks worn into the weathered stone suggested that at least a few small vehicles had made their way through in the past. What kind of transportation was a mystery; there wasn't so much as a bicycle leaning against the wall.

   There weren't any signs of actual life, either. She passed numerous doorways as she walked, but there seemed a suspicious lack of people lurking in them. A few scraggly chickens and a bony pig snuffled by, but that was all. Had she landed in an abandoned town? It would just figure, wouldn't it?

   Still, when she listened, she realized she could hear noise, a faint murmur that grew steadily louder as she continued to walk. It sounded like people, she realized with relief. A _lot_ of people, like a whole, milling crowd of them. She could also hear a low, steady rumble and above that the neighing of horses. Her pace quickened as she hurried toward the noise. She was certainly headed into the right part of town, and as busy as it sounded it seemed like everyone else had headed there, too. Now, all she had to do was find someone and ask—

   Wait.

   KC screeched to a halt as a belated realization struck her. She wasn't in America at the moment, and unless she'd mysteriously learned how to speak the local language, she was going to face a major barrier even if she did find someone to ask directions. She huffed a sigh and kicked at another stone, continued to trudge along. Why couldn't the book have tossed her into Japan, instead? At least she knew how to say hello and ask where the local restaurants were in _that_ language.

   Which immediately brought her to yet another problem. Where would she find food and, more importantly, how was she going to pay for it? She was carrying a small amount of money. _American_ money. And she had no means to exchange it for local currency. She'd need a passport for that, wouldn't she?

   This third realization struck like a sack of wet cement. "Holy freakin' _crap_ I don't have a passport," she gasped. "I'm in China without a _passport_. Is that even _legal_?" She was pretty sure it was heavily frowned upon, anyway. So, finding a police station was out of the question. How was she supposed to explain why she was there without a passport? They'd naturally assume she'd bypassed customs and snuck into the country, and they technically wouldn't be _wrong_ , would they? And people who got caught sneaking into China generally didn't sneak _out_ again for a really, really long time.

   Oh, this adventure just kept getting better and better, didn't it?

   But in another moment, as she stepped out of the alleyway and into a very wide and very busy menagerie of a street, KC decided that getting caught without a passport was the very _least_ of her worries.

_I'm … not in the twenty-first century anymore._

   Her first assumption had been correct; she was definitely in a Chinese city. But this particular city looked exactly like something out of a historical movie, set somewhere in the past several centuries. There were no cars, no telephone poles or electrical wiring, no street lights, no flashing signs or blaring music. No signs of modern life, _period_.

   But there _were_ horses and carts, street vendors and stray animals wandering all over the place. There was even a giant elephant, on whose back several men performed death-defying acrobatics to a crowd of delighted onlookers. Children ran loose and wild, screamed and laughed and darted underneath the elephant's giant feet, ignoring the furious yells of its handlers.

   She gazed around the blur of activity, at a complete loss. _Okay. I found Main Street. Now what?_ She had no idea what to do next. Should she approach someone and ask for help? But how was she supposed to speak to them? If she really was in ancient China, it was highly doubtful anyone here would have even _heard_ English before, much less knew how to speak it.

   A few people had noticed her, and were giving her odd looks. When a group of men on the other side of the street began to murmur amongst themselves and pointed in her direction, KC spooked and hastily backed into the alley again. She couldn't draw attention to herself, not until she figured out what to do. She paced for a few moments and pondered her next move. When her stomach growled loudly, she grimaced and crossed her arms over it, wishing she'd eaten lunch. She'd been too busy exchanging Christmas gifts with her friends to bother at the time. She still had the bagged lunch she'd packed (Was it really only that morning? It seemed like forever ago!) but it was probably stuffed into the bottom of her pack beneath her textbooks, nothing but a soggy, squashed mess of crushed potato chips and lunch meat by now. She wasn't _that_ hungry just yet.

   "Excuse me. Do you need some help?"

   "Huh?" Taken completely by surprise, she whirled and came face-to-face with a young man who looked only a little older than her. She blinked at him, realized he was kind of handsome, and then blinked again as she also realized that she had perfectly understood his question. "Y-you can _talk_ ," she squeaked and was rewarded with a strange look.

   "Yeeees … most people can," the man replied carefully.

   "No, no. I mean … you can speak English."

   She was rewarded with another strange look. "Are you … okay?" he asked. "Do you need to sit down or anything?"

   "No, no! I'm fine, really. I'm just _so_ glad I can understand somebody! I mean, I thought I was in _so_ much trouble." KC heaved a relieved sigh and smiled at her savior. "I don't suppose _you_ can tell me where I am, can you?"

   The man grinned back. "Oh, sure. You're in Konan, of course. The capital, to be specific. Are you traveling? Did you get lost somehow? You look like a foreigner. You're dressed rather, um, strangely." He eyeballed her ensemble speculatively, with an odd expression. "And your hair has some … unusual coloring, doesn't it?"

   KC frowned at his tone and looked down at herself. She wore one of her usual pairs of embroidered jeans, her boots, and a brown, crushed-velvet camisole beneath a long over-shirt of cream lace. Okay, so it might not be the most _practical_ outfit to wear on a frigid day in December, but it was perfectly fashionable. Brady had helped her put it together, and nobody knew fashion like Brady did.

   As for her long mane of hair, it was a perfectly normal shade of dark brown. It was almost the same shade as his, in fact, so what was he whining about? Unless he'd been referring to the recent addition of some light blonde streaks. KC felt stung; she _liked_ her highlights, and they'd been Brady's Christmas present to her. Besides, as _his_ wardrobe consisted of something resembling a sleeveless trench coat, a pair of cutoff pants in dire need of a wash, and a worn-out pair of ballet slippers, she didn't think he had _any_ right to criticize. After all, his hair was pulled back into a tight bun on top of his head and covered with a cloth _doily_ of all things.

   "Um, yeah, I'm from out of town," she muttered. Maybe this fellow wasn't so handsome, after all. His hair was greasy, his eyes were too beady, and he didn't smell very good, either. Maybe some girls were turned on by the odor of old sweat and unwashed clothes, but she personally couldn't see the attraction in guys who had such an obvious aversion to soap.

   "I see," the stranger replied with another charming smile (at least he had nice teeth, even if they were in need of a good scrubbing). "So, would you like a tour or anything? Are you looking for your companions?"

   "I'm by myself," she mumbled distractedly, as an odd procession making its way down the street caught her eye. Too late, she realized what she'd just admitted, and mentally kicked herself. _Way to go, moron! Why not just beg the guy to mug you while you're at it?_

   "Really, now? That's very interesting."

   KC stiffened. She most definitely did _not_ like his sudden change in tone. She narrowed her eyes and turned again to give him an appraising look. He wasn't that tall, and he wasn't very built. Not like the guys on the wrestling team, anyway. But she didn't know much about fighting and doubted she'd stand a chance if it came down to self-defense. Still, she was shorter than him by a good three inches, and probably lighter on her feet. She was a pretty fast runner if she had to be, so there was a good chance she'd be able to outrun him long enough to lose him on the crowded street.

   Of course, all these thoughts occurred _before_ three other men stepped out of a previously deserted side-entrance in the building at her back. They exchanged evil grins and eyed her up in a way that sent chills down her spine. Oh, well crap. So much for the fleeing-for-her-life idea. One, she could escape. Maybe even two, if she got lucky. But _four_?

   "Well, well. If this ain't an exotic-looking creature, I don't know what is!" one of the boys growled, a lecherous smirk plastered on his greasy face.

   KC blinked. _Exotic? Me?_ For a moment, she was flattered. But only for a moment. And then she realized she could understand him, as well, and frowned. What was going on? Did _all_ of these people speak English?

   "I think we could get a pretty high price with the slave dealers; I heard there's a bunch passing through town. Her clothes alone should bring in quite a sum." The first thug fingered her sleeve with a dirty hand.

   She smacked him away, pissed off and even more scared. She could hear the procession in the street coming closer, the sound of feet marching in unison, the clank of metal, and a harsh voice called out, "Get off the street! Make way!" She chanced a glance out into the open; the townsfolk had dispersed and now lined either side of the wide, cobblestone avenue, murmuring in hushed, excited voices. In the middle of the street, a long cavalcade of men and horses dressed in brilliant scarlet uniforms and golden armor marched in grim formation, like a troop of toy soldiers.

   Very grouchy-looking and _well-armed_ toy soldiers, given their fierce scowls and the multitude of gleaming spears and swords they carried. In the center of the army, something flashed brilliantly in the sun. It looked like a golden carriage, enclosed by scarlet curtains and borne on thick poles carried by eight very muscular men, two at each corner. It was called a palanquin if KC remembered her history correctly. It was the mode of transportation used by very important people, like government officials and such. Judging by the amount of guards surrounding _this_ palanquin, it was a _very_ important person who rode inside.

   KC could hardly believe her good fortune. This was great! A parade of soldiers! All she had to do was lose herself in the group, and then she'd be safe from the four stooges! They wouldn't dare try to attack her surrounded by an army, right? Without a second thought (which was perhaps her undoing, as she hadn't fully considered the consequences of the _first_ one), she darted from the alleyway straight into the middle of the parade. She heard the startled yells of her would-be kidnappers, overridden by the equally startled yells of the soldiers who now surrounded her.

   "What do you think you're doing?" one of them bellowed and swiped at her with a meaty hand. She squawked and ducked away, straight into another man marching up behind her, who in turn stumbled to a halt. This immediately led to something like a domino effect as soldiers and horses alike found themselves plowing straight into the backs of the fellows ahead, who suddenly weren't marching anymore.

   Horses reared and whinnied as the crowds on either side broke into uproarious laughter. It was an admittedly hilarious sight, to watch the grim-faced soldiers topple like sheaves of felled wheat. The laughter died a swift death, however, when one of the servants who bore the palanquin managed to trip over a stray spear shaft. Down he went, leaving his partner to bear their end of the heavy carriage by himself. Even as the other six men attempted to correct the sudden shift in weight, the golden pole resting on his sweaty shoulder slipped and dislodged the back half of the pole from the hands of those servants, as well.

   In a single, horrifying moment, the entire right side of the palanquin landed on the street with a heavy crash. Its golden frame crumpled like tin foil and the curtains bulged out as whoever was inside abruptly found himself tumbling head-over-feet. There came a single, astonished yelp from amid the tangle of twisted metal and crimson velvet, and then … ominous silence.

   The townspeople fell into a horrified stupor as the carriage sank like the Titanic. Then, as one, they appeared to recall that they had Very Important Things that needed tending to _immediately_. Preferably on the _other_ side of the city. Amid hushed whispers and scurrying feet, the entire crowd dispersed within the space of a minute; even the elephant had disappeared. All that remained was a sea of fallen soldiers and one very shamefaced girl who stood in the middle of the street, surveying the mass pandemonium she'd single-handedly wrought.

   KC hunched her shoulders in a poor attempt to make herself look as small and inconspicuous as possible. She gulped, dredged up a timid smile and offered it to the several hundred very disgruntled soldiers that had all turned to glare in her direction.

   "Uhm … oops?"

 


	4. Begging for Favors (the Emperor Way)

   Given the choice between the heavily-armed guards and the four thugs in the alley, KC decided she would much rather take her chances with the thugs. Unfortunately, they had vanished along with the rest of the crowd (at least _that_ part of the plan had worked), and as she'd been surrounded on all sides by a bristling wall of very pointy spears, she was hardly in a position to go looking for them.

   "How dare you disrupt the royal procession, and how dare you attack the emperor's palanquin?" a soldier in a very gaudy captain's helmet bellowed furiously as he brandished his sword at her. "The punishment for such insubordination is death!" The sword rose threateningly.

   KC's eyes widened. _Death?_ The _emperor's_ palanquin? What in the name of Peter, Paul, and Mary had she just gotten herself into? In a panic, she pointed a shaking finger at the eight servants who'd borne the palanquin (and who now frantically attempted to disentangle its occupant), and blurted, "Th- _they're_ the ones who dropped the guy! Why aren't you threatening _them_?"

   " _Silence!_ " the captain roared, raised his sword and prepared to bring it down on her. KC screamed and covered her head with her arms in a useless attempt to protect herself, wishing with all her might to wake up from whatever nightmare she'd managed to fall into.

   " _Stop!_ "

   The forceful command immediately halted the sword's descent. The soldier snapped to attention and turned to face the speaker. KC nervously peeked out from between her arms to see that the servants had managed to free the emperor and he now stood beside the ruined carriage, none the worse for wear after his impromptu tumble to the ground. He stood tall and noble (if not slightly disheveled) in the sunlight. His embroidered crimson robes framed his figure proudly, and his face … was almost completely obscured by the most ridiculous hat KC had ever seen. She'd thought the captain's helmet was gaudy, but it was nothing to the emperor's crown, which strongly resembled a crimson graduation cap with long, golden fringes dangling over the front rim to conceal his face.

   To her horror, a hysterical giggle threatened to escape. She desperately forced it back and, well aware that her life depended on her next actions, dropped her gaze in a pretend show of respect.

   This nearly proved her undoing, however, when she caught sight of the emperor's shoes peeking from beneath the immaculate white ruffles of his robes. She choked down another convulsive laugh. He looked like a duck with two broken feet in those shoes, with his toes pointed straight up in the air.

   "What should we do with her, Your Majesty?" The captain seized KC by the hair. She screeched in pain and grabbed his wrist, tried to wrench away; she was rewarded with a rough shake. "Look at her! I never saw clothes like these before. She must be a spy from Kutou!"

   "I'm not either!" she protested and squealed as her hair was pulled again. "Ow! Stop it, you jerk! I was— _Ow!_ I was being stalked by some boys in the alley and they wanted to sell me to slave traders! I just thought— _Ouch!_ Will you _let go_ of my _hair_? _—_ I thought if I could hide with the guards they'd leave me alone. I didn't _mean_ to ruin your parade, honest!" She turned pleading eyes back the emperor, hoping he was a lot nicer than the stupid captain.

   "Release the girl's hair, please."

   KC breathed a sigh of relief as she rubbed her sore scalp. She glared at the captain and fought the urge to kick him in the shin. Mostly because he wore gold-plated boots, so she'd probably end up hurting herself more than him. The emperor stood silently for a long moment, and even though she couldn't see his face, she could feel his eyes fixed on her, studying her as he considered her story. Finally, after a long moment, he gestured, and she abruptly found her arms captured in the hard grip of two more soldiers. "Hey!" she yelped. "What're you doing? He _said_ to let me go!"

   "He said to release your hair. We have," the captain corrected smugly.

   "Place the child under arrest," the emperor commanded calmly, "and bring her to the palace. We shall consider her sentencing there."

   "Child!" KC yelped in outrage, struggling futilely to free her arms. "I didn't do anything! I told you it was an accident! Why're you picking on me? You should be chasing those thugs or looking for slave traders or something! Is this how you treat _all_ the guests in your city? Hey! Are you listening to me? _Hey!_ "

   "Shut her up," the captain snapped. In response, one of the soldiers drew a knife from his belt and raised it, hilt-first. KC barely had time to register this action before a sharp pain exploded in the back of her skull, and she slumped forward, out cold. "Take her to the dungeon," the captain barked and the two guards saluted and dragged the unconscious girl through the procession of soldiers.

   He turned to face the emperor and abruptly cringed when he realized that the man had removed his crown to fix him with a frosty stare. "That was unnecessarily harsh," he stated in a soft, disapproving voice. "She is only a frightened girl." Without another word, he turned and summoned a servant to bring him a horse, gracefully mounted and rode back to the palace, leaving the heavily-sweating captain to clean up the mess in the street.

* * *

   "Urgh…" KC slowly regained consciousness, aware of a dull ache in the back of her head and the unpleasant sensation of cool, damp rock under her cheek. Moaning, she slowly raised herself onto her hands and knees, blinked gritty eyes in the dim light as she tried to get her bearings. "Where am I _now_?" she mumbled, bringing a hand up to rub her aching skull. She grimaced when her fingers touched a small knot on the back of her head. "That jackass. Didn't his mother teach him not to hit girls? I bet he never had a date in his life."

   She rose unsteadily to her feet once her eyes had adjusted enough to see her surroundings. She immediately wished she couldn't when she realized she'd been locked inside a small, dark cell, with a mere slit of a window to allow pale sunlight to slip through. Mildewed straw scattered haphazardly over the filthy stone floor, and a pile of tattered rags that were apparently supposed to serve as blankets lay in a crumpled pile in the corner. She was so cold that she actually considered wrapping one or two of them around her shoulders to gain a bit of warmth. Slight movements from within the pile, however, quickly put an end to _that_ idea.

   She sank to the floor again, back against the chilled wall, and pressed her throbbing head against her drawn-up knees, allowed hot tears to run freely down her cheeks. She sat for a long time in a numb daze, cold and wet, filthy and sore all over. She could not remember ever being so miserable in her life. Even when her parents had unexpectedly divorced three years ago, she hadn't felt as helpless as she did now. At least she'd had Brady and Kimiko to help her through the confusion and difficulties. Here, she had nobody to rely on but herself, and herself seemed pretty useless in this situation.

   She barely registered the sound when the heavy door of her cell rattled and opened with a harsh groan. Two guards entered her cell. "His Majesty wishes to see you. Try anything funny and you'll regret it," one of them warned as he fingered his drawn weapon.

   "Heh. She don't look like she _could_ try anything," the other snorted. "I wouldn't worry about her. Let's just get her upstairs. And don't hurt her; His Majesty's pretty upset about the first knock she got."

   Guard One grunted his agreement and stepped further into the cell. "Get up, girly. Time to go."

   When KC continued to ignore them, they glanced at each other, then stepped forward and took her by each arm to hoist her to her feet. _That_ got her attention, instantly snapped her out of her stupor. Her gaze darted back and forth between them, eyes huge with fright.

   The two men exchanged uneasy glances. "Blue eyes. Ain't natural," the first grunted.

   "Only blue-eyed folk I've heard of are that heathen tribe Kutou wiped out of existence years back," the other agreed, brow furrowed. "You think she's a survivor?"

   "Naw. Lookit her! She ain't near old enough to've been alive that long."

   "Unless she's a witch like the captain said. Didn't they all practice dark magic? She could've cast a spell, made herself immortal or somethin'."

   KC swallowed, not liking the turn this conversation was taking. Witchcraft and superstitious ninnies were a volatile mix, and the way the two men looked at her, with growing fear in their eyes, made her more than a little nervous. "Wh-what're you doing? Where are you taking me?" she demanded, struggling weakly in their grasps. "Leave me alone!"

   "Just come with us. Th' emperor wants to see you." Guard One seemed to soften a bit when he saw her terror. "Don't worry," he grunted. "His Majesty's a fair man. He won't be too hard on you, so long as you ain't a Kutou spy or nothin'."

   "I've never even _heard_ of Kutou."

   "Then you ain't got nothin' to worry about, do ya?"

   KC gritted her teeth, forced to stumble along as they pulled her from the cell and up a flight of stairs. She struggled to keep up; her legs were numb and stiff, and she kept tripping over her own feet. She would have fallen numerous times had it not been for their tight grasps on her arms, but she could tell they were getting impatient, given the way they jerked her to her feet every time she stumbled. She wondered if they'd just eventually let her fall and drag her through the halls on her back, decided to put more of an effort into staying upright, just in case.

   At least her brain had woken up a little. Adrenaline had kicked in again, sharpening her senses and clearing the fog from her mind. After traversing a limitless number of hallways and passing through an elaborate outdoor courtyard in which a great deal of activity was going on, they finally stopped before a large, ornate door. The soldier on KC's left knocked once and opened it; the one on her right pushed her rather forcefully into the room beyond. "In ya go, witch," he snapped, and then the door closed with a resounding thud behind her, leaving her alone in a very large and lavishly furnished study.

   Only, she wasn't alone. A man sat serenely behind a large desk on the far side of the room, hands folded on the polished wooden surface as he studied her silently. "Please come closer," he commanded after a moment, and KC immediately recognized the emperor's soft voice. She gulped and moved carefully toward the desk, praying her legs wouldn't collapse right out from under her. Her knees felt like jello, weak and wobbly. She walked as slowly as she dared until she reached the edge of an oriental carpet spread a few feet from his desk. She stopped dead in her tracks at that point, the emperor finally close enough to see clearly.

   The first thing she noticed was the stupid fringed hat was gone, and she could finally get a clear look at his face. The second thing she noticed was that he was a surprisingly _young_ emperor. He couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than herself.

   Correction. His age was the _third_ thing she noticed. The second thing was that this young emperor was very, _very_ handsome.

   In fact, she thought, handsome wasn't even the right word. Handsome didn't _begin_ to describe how attractive this man was. There were not a lot of people in the world who could be called stunningly beautiful, and even less who were of the male persuasion. But this stunningly beautiful young emperor was clearly _not_ your average male homosapien.

 _Are his eyes_ golden _?_

   This was, naturally, the first remarkable feature she noticed since those eyes happened to be fixed directly on her in a calm, unwavering gaze. Yes, she decided. They were most definitely golden, and they were surrounded by the most beautifully long, black lashes she'd ever seen. The kind of eyelashes Brady usually spent twenty-five bucks on a tube of mascara to achieve. The kind of eyelashes most women would _kill_ to have been naturally born with.

   Not that the rest of him was any less perfect. His was the kind of face to inspire poets and artists to write sonnets or carve marble statues in honor of Greek gods. His features were perfectly proportioned, with a straight, aristocratic nose set above a firm, sensual mouth. His skin looked as smooth and pale as glazed porcelain. Completely unblemished by even a freckle. KC was willing to bet it had never once been touched by so much as a pimple.

   Man buns seemed to be the hairstyle of choice in this country; the emperor's hair was also pulled into a severe topknot, but for a silky fringe that hung enticingly over his eyes. KC had a difficult moment trying to decide its exact color. It looked like common brown, at first. Just a shade or two lighter than her own hair. Then he shifted, and his head tilted _just so_ , and the sunlight that streamed through an arched entrance to the left caught and instantly transformed the dark strands into glowing silver. Not the white-gray of Mrs. Potter's hair, but an amazing, rich, dark shade that glistened like polished pewter.

   "How can you be _real_?" she whispered, stunned, not even realizing she'd spoken the thought aloud.

   Everything about this person was a harmony of both masculine and feminine beauty, the sort of physical perfection that seemed more fantasy than reality. But there he sat, watching KC watch him, and his eyes held a certain amusement as he patiently waited for her to finish her scrutiny.

   It took her an embarrassingly long time to realize how terribly _rude_ she was being. The moment she realized she was openly gaping at him, she hastily dropped her gaze, mortified by her lapse in manners. She could feel a dark, hot flush creep up her neck and into her face and realized that her heart had started pounding much too fast against her ribcage. She did _not_ deal well with men. Unlike Brady, who was a natural-born flirt, _she_ always managed to turn herself into a stuttering, tongue-tied idiot when it came to handling members of the opposite sex. Even Kimiko, who wasn't even interested in dating, could talk to boys with perfect ease.

   Swallowing around her dry tongue, KC not-so-subtly wiped her sweaty palms against her thighs, stared fixedly at the floor, and waited for the emperor to make the next move.

   "May We ask your name?"

   She flinched. The Imperial We? This _was_ serious.

   His voice, like the rest of him, was regal and commanding, yet somehow gentle as the deep, silky tones rippled over her senses. She shivered just slightly. His voice was just as beautiful as his face. A man this perfect should be illegal, she decided as she shifted from foot to foot, a nervous habit from childhood she'd never been able to break. "K-Katriana Choinski, Sir … um … Majesty," she stuttered. "P-people mostly just call me KC."

   The emperor nodded. "We are Saihitei Seishuku, although We are also known as Hotohori." He gestured to a wooden chair pulled up to the desk with a slim, elegant hand. "Well … KC. Would you care to sit down?"

   She glanced at the chair, considered refusing for a moment, then decided it'd be in her best interest to obey. Mostly because she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand. Moving like a jerky, wooden puppet, she took those final steps toward the armchair and dropped into it with an ungraceful plop. She twisted her hands into the hem of her shirt, met the emperor's gaze with all the courage she could muster (which admittedly wasn't very much), and waited.

   A slight smile touched Hotohori's lips as he turned his attention to the desk before him. Or, more specifically, to what was _on_ the desk. He idly paged through a book as KC looked on, and it slowly dawned on her that he was flipping through her trigonometry textbook. She blinked, then blinked again as she belatedly realized that the entire contents of her backpack were spread in careful order across the surface of his desk. The pack itself rested on the floor beside it. Her quilted velvet purse had been folded neatly at one corner, its contents also on display. Her jaw dropped as fear slowly melted under burning indignation. If there was one thing she couldn't tolerate, it was such a blatant invasion of privacy.

   "Hey!" she protested. "That's my stuff!" She would have leaped to her feet had she been able to stand. All she could do was turn an accusing glare on the man responsible. "Who said you had any right to go looking through all my stuff, huh? That's just rude!"

   The man actually had the gall to smile at her. He seemed more amused than ever, like a parent watching the ridiculous tantrum their three-year-old was throwing over a broken toy. "This … _stuff …_ is very interesting, KC," he replied calmly. "We have never seen the like. Perhaps you might explain to Us what some of it is?"

   She scowled, suspecting a trap as he picked up the book he'd been paging through and offered it to her. "Our advisors are convinced this odd scroll is filled with magic symbols and evil spells. The writing is unlike any we have seen before."

   "It's called a _book_." KC huffed a scornful laugh. Superstitious ninnies, _indeed_. "It's just my trigonometry textbook. You know, advanced mathematics?" She reached to accept the book and placed it in her lap. "There's nothing magical about it." She paused to consider for a moment. "Although I won't argue the 'evil' part. _Hate_ Trig."

   He nodded, still smiling, and picked up one of her English textbooks.

   "Grammatical primer," she explained. "The basic foundation of the English language. Again, very non-magical." She pointed to a third textbook. "World History, the class that got me into this whole mess in the first place."

   Hotohori put the book down and picked up her digital camera instead; last year's Christmas present from her mom. "And this odd device?"

   "It's a camera. You take pictures with it."

   "Pictures?" he asked, puzzled.

   "Yeah, like this." She plucked the camera from his hand, turned it on and aimed it at him. "Smile!" When she pressed the shutter, the flash went off with a click and a whir, eliciting a startled gasp from her subject. He immediately leaned back in his chair and she thought he reached under his desk, possibly to go for a concealed weapon. "Relax! I didn't steal your _soul_ or anything!" she hastily assured him. "It's just an image!" She turned the camera around to show him the viewer. The image of himself gazed back with an extremely surprised expression on his beautiful face.

   Hotohori's lips parted in astonishment. "Th-that is _me_!" he gasped. "It is a mirror reflection … or a portrait."

   "Um, yeah. An instant portrait," she agreed, examining the picture. "You know, aside from that freaked-out expression on your face, you're actually pretty photogenic." She smiled faintly as she glanced up at him. "Can I have this back now? It was _really_ kind of expensive, and Mom'll have my gizzard for garters if it breaks."

   His brow furrowed at her words, but he nodded and she picked up her purse and began to shove its contents inside. Noting his obvious curiosity, she tried to explain each object she picked up. "This is my wallet. No magic there." She checked its contents and wrinkled her nose. "Or actual money, for that matter." Guess she'd've had to wait for her holiday coffee drink, after all.

   An ink block and bamboo ink brush sat to one side of the desk, next to a neat pile of scrolls. KC recognized them because Kimiko's father was big into the art of Japanese calligraphy, and had once tried to teach the three girls using the traditional tools. It had been a dismal failure, of course. None of them possessed the patience required to achieve the delicate lines and strokes. And when Brady ended up spilling half the ink on the hardwood floor, they'd all agreed never to attempt calligraphy again, on pain of committing seppuku under Mr. Yura's watchful eye.

   Really. The permanent ink stain on the floor wasn't _that_ big. A large throw rug covered it nicely.

   KC's lips curled into a small smile at the memory. She picked up the next object and let Hotohori take a good look. "This is called a ballpoint pen. It's a writing instrument. It uses ink but writes much more smoothly than a brush, and it won't stain up your fingers. Unless you break it, of course." She demonstrated on a scrap of notebook paper by writing out his name in English letters, as close as she could spell it, anyway.

   "Fascinating," he breathed. He accepted the pen and sketched out a few foreign characters of his own. "What a wonderful implement!"

   KC couldn't help being charmed by his delight with such a simple thing as a Bic pen. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning, finding a puppy under the tree or something. "You can have it if you want it," she told him, feeling generous. "I've got more and pens are a dime a dozen where I come from."

   "I thank you for your gift." His reply was strangely formal as he bowed his head and placed the pen reverently next to the ink block.

   At least, she noted, he'd stopped talking about himself in the plural. That was encouraging, right? For the first time, she realized she might be looking at a chance to bribe her way out of this situation. Maybe if she offered him enough incentive, he'd be willing to overlook that little accident in the street and let her go, maybe even help her find her way home again. As an emperor, he probably had everything his heart desired. Luckily, she seemed to possess things that nobody in this country had ever seen before. She still wasn't sure where she was, but she was pretty certain it was no longer her own, modern world. Maybe—and this made more and more sense the longer she thought about it—she had actually been pulled _inside_ the book, into whatever world existed there. Maybe it wasn't just some kind of a portal that sucked her in one end and shot her out the other. Maybe it was actually a whole other alternate _dimension_.

   If only she'd paid more attention to Star Trek while growing up. She remembered that they'd always talked about things like space-time continuum and worm holes. Boring as it sounded, that sort of sci-fi mumbo-jumbo would have really come in handy right now.

   She sighed and examined the book in her lap, relieved to note that the water hadn't done too much damage to its pages. All of her textbooks seemed fine enough, except for her art sketchbook, which hadn't been so lucky. It must have been on the bottom of the pile and had absorbed the most water. She scowled as she peeled the wet pages apart, examining her ruined sketches with dismay. When she reached the last page, she complained, "Aw, man. I _liked_ this one. It was my best yet." The sketch depicted an old man bending over a stone table, concentrating on a checkers board. A little girl sat across from him, stretched to reach the pieces on the board. KC had used all of her concentration and skill to capture the scene precisely and was proud of how it had turned out. She'd been planning to turn it in for some extra credit. Maybe it would've even been put on display in the student gallery in the lobby. No chance of that happening _now_ , though. She sighed in disappointment and set the sketchbook aside to let it air.

   "May I ask you a question?"

   "Okay, shoot."

   He blinked at her.

   "Ask away," she amended. _Guess I'm gonna have to think about how I word stuff around here…_

   "These things… Why do you carry them? What is their purpose?" He touched the English book.

   Her brow furrowed. "Well, they're my school books. I have to carry them with me so I can study from them."

   "You attend school?" He seemed surprised.

   She pursed her lips. "Oh, I see. Women don't attend school in this world, right? Or maybe education is reserved only for upper-class society." She shrugged. "In _my_ world, or at least in my country, it's a requirement for _everyone_ to be given a proper education."

   "What do you mean by ' _this_ world' and ' _my_ world'?" he asked abruptly. His gaze fixed intently on her face, eyes sharp with sudden interest.

   She hesitated. "Um…"

   "Do you mean to tell me that you've come here from a _different_ world?" he pressed.

   "Well…"

   "How did you come to be here?"

   "I don't _know_!"

   At his startled look, she fidgeted in her seat, glanced around as if seeking an escape. "Look, I don't know where I am or how I got here, okay?" she reluctantly admitted. "All I tried to do was find information for a stupid homework assignment, and I found this little red book with Chinese letters. I figured maybe it'd help me out, so I opened it and this bright red light shot out. Next thing I know, I'm getting sucked into the damned thing and pooped out the other side." She shivered and hugged herself violently. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm just a _little_ freaked out about that. Where I come from, books usually don't make a habit out of _eating_ people."

   Hotohori didn't appear to be listening. Rather, he rose from his seat as his face took on a delighted smile, circled around to kneel beside KC and laid his lean, elegant hands on her shoulders. "So, you're truly from another world!" His face lit with that excited-little-kid expression again. "This is _wonderful_! I knew I was right about you!" In his excitement, he squeezed her shoulders and moved even closer.

   Embarrassed, KC let her gaze shift from her hands in her lap, to his silvery topknot, to his broad shoulders … anywhere but his eyes. She practically burrowed into the back of her chair to gain some space, but the man clearly had no sense of personal boundaries. If he moved any closer, they'd be locking lips. "Y-you were right about what?" she squeaked, as she tried to rid her mind of some very inappropriate ideas.

   "KC, have you ever heard of The Universe of the Four Gods?"

   "Erm … no?"

   His smile gentled as he explained, "It tells the legend of a girl who would come from another world to save Konan during a time of extreme crisis. By summoning forth the holy protector Suzaku, the beast deity of the Southern realm, she shall harness his divine power by becoming his Priestess and therefore shall save Konan from harm and bring peace to the land."

   KC blinked. "That's a very nice fairytale. What's it got to do with me?"

   "Not a fairytale," he replied. "A prophecy. One which is about to come to pass."

   She felt her stomach lurch like she'd just taken the plunge from the largest hill on a roller coaster … magnified about a hundred times.

   "For several months now, rumors have spread of troops amassing in force along Konan's eastern borders. It is believed that Kutou prepares to wage a war on this country," he explained.

   "Okay, _wait_ ," KC commanded, cutting him off. "Would you please tell me who this Kutou person is? I've been accused of being a spy for him, but I've never even _heard_ of this guy before."

   Hotohori smiled grimly. "Please forgive my oversight. Kutou is not a person but a place. Our neighboring country to the east, to be precise. Unlike Konan, which is a peaceful empire, Kutou is warlike and constantly seeks to overthrow its neighboring countries. Its army is powerful and ruthless, much more powerful than Konan is able to withstand. With mercenary troops brought in from outside sources, I fear that should the rumors prove true and Kutou attacks us, we will be unable to defend ourselves and will be overtaken." He removed his hands from her shoulders and rose to his feet, turned to his desk and picked up an ancient-looking scroll.

   "This is The Universe of the Four Gods," he explained as he presented it to her.

   She accepted it and immediately realized it was written in Chinese. _Of course, it is._ The parchment felt almost leathery in her hands, its once-brilliant crimson faded with age. "I can't read this," she informed him. "I don't know how we can understand each other when we talk, but when it comes to reading, it's all gibberish." She idly turned the scroll over in her hands, found the wax signet that sealed it shut. An elaborate design had been stamped into the wax. She examined it more closely. It looked like some kind of a bird. Like a peacock. Her eyes flew wide as she yelped and flung the scroll at Hotohori. "Keep that thing away from me!"

   He looked completely flabbergasted at her sudden fright. "What in the world is the matter?" he asked, concerned. "Are you ill?"

   "I'm fine," she snapped. "But I've seen that bird before! The stupid book that sucked me in here had the exact same image on its cover!"

   Hotohori's expression once again took on the glow of eager excitement. He dropped to his knees before her, took her cold hands into his and gripped them tightly. She stared at their joined hands with no small amount of surprise and weakly attempted to tug them from his grasp. "The red light," he breathed, unaware of her sudden discomfort. "It could only have been Suzaku's divine light." KC sucked in a startled breath when he raised her fingers to his lips and pressed a reverent kiss to them. "There is no longer any doubt in my mind, KC." He gazed at her through lidded eyes, expression reverent. "You _are_ the one I have waited for. The Girl of Legend. Please, We would ask you, as Emperor… Will you become the Priestess of Suzaku, and keep Our country from Kutou's greedy hands?"

 


	5. Wherein She Embarrasses Herself (Again)

   KC was almost certain she'd heard wrong. She stared at Hotohori for a long, silent moment, until her brain finally caught up with his words; she immediately shook her head, attempting to withdraw her hands from his firm grip. "Wait a min—You think _I'm_ this … this Girl of Legend?" she stuttered. "No, no. Look, you've _definitely_ got the wrong person here. I'm no priestess! I … I was just supposed to do research for a homework assignment! It was a total accident I stumbled across that book. A-and it's not like I can actually _stay_ here or anything."

   He studied her silently for a moment. "And so, you do not wish to possess the power of Suzaku? Do you understand that with this power, you would have anything your heart ever desired?"

   She eyed him suspiciously. "And what does 'anything' mean?"

   He smiled, squeezing her hands. "I mean only that you would have the power to rule the world if you so wished."

   "So, what, he grants wishes?"

   "Yes. Any wish your heart desires."

   "Well, I don't wish to rule the world, that's for sure. I hate politics."

   His lips quirked. "Then what _do_ you wish for?"

   "To go _home_ , for starters. If I wished for that, then he'd take me there?"

   "No doubt." His tone was dry, his expression amused at the sudden hope in her voice. "Although, I _would_ ask that you put Konan's safety above everything else. After that, you are free to ask for whatever else you choose."

   "Right, right. So, how long would this take? A day? Two maybe?"

   He looked decidedly uncomfortable. "KC, it is not so simple as all that," he explained carefully. "There is much involved in becoming the Priestess and summoning Suzaku. A mere few days would not be adequate to complete such a mission."

   "So then what _would_ be?"

   "A … few weeks, perhaps. Maybe even months. There are—"

   " _Months!_ " she screeched. "I can't stay here for months! Nobody knows where I am! They'll think I was kidnapped or murdered or something!" She jammed her fingers into her hair. "Isn't there some other way for me to get home? Wait, how about the scroll? If you opened it and aimed it at me, wouldn't it do the same thing as the book? Suck me in and drop me off in my own world?"

   He frowned slightly. "The scroll is only a retelling of the Legend, with instructions on what must be done when the Priestess is found. The copy in your world—indeed, if it is the very same—may have the sole purpose of bringing the Priestess to this one. It seems unlikely that you could so easily be returned before you've succeeded in fulfilling your duties."

   "Then … then some other way. Magic is real here, right? Can't you find some wizard or magician or something to voodoo me back home again?"

   "KC, there is no other way."

   "There has to be! How am I expected to act as a priestess? I've never even _heard_ of Suzaku before. Isn't that, like, sacrilegious or something?"

   "The Priestess has always been chosen and brought from the other world. I do not pretend to understand the reason for this."

   "Oh, well, it seems obvious enough to _me_. Your holy deity was probably bored out of his skull and decided it might be entertaining to royally _screw up_ the lives of perfectly innocent girls who otherwise would have _nothing to do_ with whatever problems you people are having!"

   Hotohori began to look a bit exasperated, but even as he opened his mouth to contradict her, he was interrupted by an explosion of sneezes and coughs that caused KC to double over where she sat. She wheezed for a while, wiped at her streaming eyes as she scrabbled around for the crumpled pack of tissues she'd stuffed into her purse. "Sorry," she mumbled.

   She squirmed when she felt Hotohori's gaze heavy on her, studying her as intently as she'd studied him, his brow knit with obvious concern. She must have looked a sight; her clothes were filthy and damp, her thin shirt badly stained and torn in numerous places. Ruined, no doubt. Her hair was probably a tangled mess, and she couldn't stop shivering. She felt miserable, likely looked even worse, if the touch of guilt in his eyes was any indication. She felt a touch of satisfaction for that, given the way she'd been treated and all.

   After a few moments, he called in a servant and spoke a few low words. The servant bowed and scurried off. He turned back to KC, sighed heavily and rested a hand on her head. "Forgive me, KC," he murmured, as he gently stroked her hair. "It seems my manners have forsaken me in my eagerness to learn the truth. Clearly, you are in discomfort, which I have ignored so I might satisfy my own curiosity."

   She blinked up at him, as surprised by the apology as she was by the unexpected touch.

   "There is a room being prepared for you. I have asked for a meal to be brought to you, and clean clothes. Please, take care of yourself, eat, have some proper rest. This conversation can continue at another time." He drew her to her feet and led her from the room, one arm draped around her shoulders as he walked beside her. His voluminous sleeve trailed down her back like a cloak, warming her comfortably. Several servants in the hallway stopped working at the sight of them, then began speaking in hushed whispers once they had passed. The emperor ignored them, but KC blushed darkly, imagining what kinds of rumors had just been started.

   They traversed several hallways before Hotohori stopped before a certain door. "This is your room. My own chambers are not far away, just down the next hall. If there is something you need, or if you wish to speak to me about anything at all, please seek me out at any time." He opened the door, revealing a spacious, beautifully furnished chamber beyond. It was easily large enough to fit an entire apartment in there; an alcove draped with gauzy red curtains revealed a large, comfortable-looking bed that KC could hardly wait to dive into.

   "I-is all this … for me?" she breathed, gazing around through wide eyes.

   "Indeed," Hotohori replied, a hint of a smile creeping into his voice. "It is only suitable for one as honored as the Priestess."

   She glanced up at him as a frown pulled at her lips, but he held up his hand to ward off any oncoming arguments.

   "Never mind all of that now. The room is yours to use. Do you find it to your liking?"

   "Well, it sure beats the dungeon," she murmured, stepping inside for a better look around. She didn't see his flinch and jumped when his hand came to rest on her head again, sliding down until his fingers found the small knot at the base of her skull.

   "Does it hurt much?" he asked softly. "Where you were struck?"

   "Oh, uh, not so much anymore," she stammered, shivering at the feel of his fingers running lightly over her neck through the fine hair that grew there.

   He sighed. "Striking you in such a manner is unforgivable. Even if you were not … a guest, it is still unpardonable. I shall have the guard punished for it."

   "Oh, don't do that. He was a jerk but he was only doing his job, wasn't he?"

   His smile was warm. "You are most gracious, Your Eminence."

   She fixed him with another narrowed stare, to which he responded with a blithe smile before bowing and stepping out of the room. "Please, rest well, and in the morning we shall continue our conversation."

   KC closed the door, and leaned back against it, staring blindly off into space as she tried to make sense of her latest situation. A sudden knock, right at the level of her ear, jerked her out of her reverie; she released a startled squeal and nearly jumped out of her own skin as she scrambled away from the door, which opened to reveal a servant bearing a tray laden with food and a rather startled expression. "I-is everything all right, Your Eminence?" he asked cautiously as he stepped into the room.

   "Oh, no, I'm fine," she stuttered, rubbing her head sheepishly.

   "I've brought your meal, Your Eminence," he replied, setting the tray down on a table.

   "Why do you keep calling me that?"

   "Excuse me?" He looked at her, confused.

   "'Your Eminence'. Why do you keep calling me that?"

   "W-well, how else shall I address you? Would you prefer to be addressed as Priestess?"

   "Huh?" She blinked. "But—No, I'm not—That is, I haven't actually _agreed_ to become this Suzaku Priestess yet."

   "She is called _Priestess_ of _Suzaku_ ," he replied stiffly, sounding mightily offended. "I was not aware there was a choice involved. When she arrives in this land, she is already chosen."

   "Whatever," KC muttered, eyeballing the tray hungrily. "Can I eat now?"

   He bowed and stepped back as KC plopped into the chair. She grimaced when she saw a pair of chopsticks. She wasn't very good with chopsticks. The many times she'd eaten at Chinese restaurants with her mom and friends hadn't helped her improve her skills, either, although she was sure she'd kept the waiters much entertained with her poor attempts at trying. She glanced at the man, who seemed quite content to stand there and observe.

   She sighed, and dug in.

   Or ... tried to, anyway. But she couldn't force herself to take the first bite. She wasn't very fond of fish, but she could tolerate it if it was cooked well. What she could not tolerate, however, was the entire fish—head, tail, and all—laid open on a bed of lettuce, its dead eyes fixed right on hers.

   "Um, excuse me," she called, feeling a bit silly as she beckoned the servant over. "Uh … I really appreciate the meal and I don't want to sound ungrateful but…" She trailed off.

   "Is there a problem with your meal, Your Eminence?" The servant's tone suggested that there had better _not_ be; KC really hoped he wasn't the kind of server who spit in people's food for revenge when they complained the soup was too cold or something.

   "Well, I'm sure it tastes fine. It's just … I can't bring myself to eat something that's … that's _staring_ at me. I feel like I'm violating it or something."

   "The fish is cooked. I assure you, it is quite dead and cannot see what you are doing to it." The servant's voice was as dry as a desert.

   "I know. But, do you suppose it's possible to get one _without_ a head?" she asked timidly.

   In response, he picked up a boning knife beside the plate, hauled back, and brought it down with a thwack, cleaving the head with one blow. KC's stomach turned over, and she barely managed to swallow back the dry-heave that threatened to follow. "Thank you," she choked.

   The servant grunted, swiped up the fish head and turned to stomp out of the room.

* * *

   There is nothing more terrifying than waking up in the middle of the night, for some unknown reason, and find oneself in a strange bed in an entirely unfamiliar bedroom.

   KC discovered this the hard way when she suddenly jerked awake with a pounding heart and a mind dizzy with sleep and the broken, swiftly-fading fragments of a dream. She felt as though she was suffocating; in her panicked struggle to untangle herself from the sheets twisted in a stranglehold around her legs, she managed to fall out of the bed and onto the floor with a heavy thud and a pained yelp.

   "Ow," she grunted, struggling to right herself, a rather difficult task considering her top half was sprawled on the floor and her bottom half was still wound in the silken sheets on the bed, her tangled feet stretching awkwardly into the air. "Well, _that_ was graceful," she huffed, leaning on her abused elbows and glaring at the offending linens. She let out an irritated puff of air to blow the hair out of her eyes, let herself fall onto her back again and stared up at the shadowed ceiling. The strangeness of the room was fading now; she began to remember where she was, and she frowned. "It wasn't a dream," she mumbled. "I'm actually here."

   Sharp voices from outside her room alerted her that she was about to have visitors, just before the door burst open and several men rushed into the room, weapons drawn and lanterns held high. KC yelled in alarm, for a moment believing she was under attack until she recognized the uniforms of the palace guards. "A-are you alright, Your Eminence?" one of them questioned uncertainly, staring at her long and hard in a manner that made her rather uncomfortable.

   "Just fine and dandy!" She forced as much cheer as she could muster into the reply, but suspected she wasn't fooling anyone. "Nothin' to worry about here, folks. Y'all are doing a fine job of guarding. Can you maybe … get back to it now?"

   "What is happening? Has there been an attack?" Hotohori's deep voice was both commanding and worried, and the guards stepped aside to allow him through into the room.

   Despite her rather embarrassing situation, KC found herself gaping up at the emperor, who had knelt beside her and was examining her with a mixture of amusement and concern. His hair had been freed of its constraints and rippled down … and down … over his shoulders and back in a silken fall that reached his waist. She'd never seen hair that long on a man before, or many women, for that matter. The emperor had been beautiful before, but he was _breathtaking_ now. With a little makeup and the right clothes, he'd make one hell of a gorgeous cross-dresser.

   Of course, no one could mistake him for a woman in his current attire. He wore a white silk robe much like the one KC had been given to wear, belted loosely at the waist. It gaped open at his torso to reveal a goodly expanse of beautifully-toned, _very_ non-feminine chest.

   Managing to reassemble what was left of her wits ( _Stop_ staring _at him already, you kook!_ ), she forced an embarrassed little smile to her lips. "Um, there's a perfectly logical explanation for this. Really. See, I had this dream—At least I think it was a dream—and when I woke up, the sheets were attacking my legs, and I kind of fell out of the bed." She paused to clear her throat, sheepish. "But I'm fine! Nothing broken but my dignity." Her gaze darted past the silent emperor to the equally silent guards, who still openly gaped at her. "Um … why do they keep staring at me like that?" she whispered.

   Hotohori immediately turned and leveled a quelling glare at the soldiers. "All is well. You may return to your posts now," he snapped.

   The guards saluted and hastily filed out of the room, casting lingering glances at the priestess, who was currently being shielded by the emperor. "What was that about?" she muttered peevishly. "It's not like I'm the only person who ever fell out of a bed before. Sheesh!"

   Hotohori turned to face her again, looking uncomfortable, almost embarrassed. His cheeks had flushed faintly pink. "KC, your robe … um…" He trailed off and gestured briefly at her neckline, carefully keeping his eyes averted.

   She frowned and glanced down at herself, abruptly yelped and grabbed the gaping edges of the robe to yank them tight across her body as her face turned six different shades of red. "Right," she squeaked, completely mortified. " _Boy_ am I glad I left my bra on." She thumped her head on the floor, covering her face with her hands. "Hasn't anybody heard of _pajamas_ in this place?"

   She gave another squeak when a strong, warm arm slipped under her back, another beneath her knees, and Hotohori lifted her into his embrace as if she weighed no more than an infant. She blinked at him in bewilderment, marveling at the feeling of being cradled in a man's arms. It had been a long time since anyone had held her like that. The last person had been her father when she'd fallen out of a tree and broken her leg, and she'd only been ten years old at the time. That was back when they'd all been happy. Before Dad decided he'd had enough of the family life.

   The moment was short-lived as Hotohori gently deposited KC back onto the bed, sitting beside her and helping her untangle the stubborn sheets. She self-consciously pulled her robe further down her legs, figuring she'd given the poor guy enough of a peep show for one night. "Um, sorry for making everyone panic," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

   His golden eyes glowed rich and deep in the candlelight. "You've done nothing for which you need to apologize. I was already awake, in truth."

   "Really?" She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure you aren't just saying that to make me feel better? It's still dark out!"

   He smiled, amused. "Dawn isn't far away. I rise at this time every morning to prepare for the day."

   "Seriously? I figured with you being the emperor and all, you'd be allowed to sleep in until noon or something."

   He laughed softly. "Unfortunately, it is _because_ I am emperor that I have little time for rest. My days begin very early, and end very late. The country cannot run itself, after all."

   "That doesn't seem very healthy. Don't you ever get a day off?"

   "An odd concept, that. I'm afraid I've never heard of such a thing." His eyes glinted with playful humor and she found herself smiling back. His expression softened as he regarded her, and he reached out to gently brush a few strands of hair from her eyes, which widened in astonishment as her face reddened. She looked decidedly nervous, and he tilted his head, like a curious cat, and a small smile touched his lips. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

   "No, of course not!"

   Her blush darkened when he simply cocked an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "Well, okay, yeah, I guess you kind of do," she admitted. "It's just I'm not used to guys being so _friendly_ , that's all. Handsome men make me nervous. And you're … _really_ handsome." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and shyly dropped her gaze to her lap.

   Hotohori smiled, squeezing her hand. "Yes, people always say so," he agreed. "I _am_ very beautiful. It is hard not to notice."

   She met his gaze, surprised; she wondered if he was teasing, but he certainly _looked_ serious enough. So he was a bonafide narcissist, huh? Well, she supposed he had to have at least _one_ fault to balance out all that perfection. He wouldn't be human, otherwise.

   "As we're both awake now, perhaps you would like to join me in my chambers for an early breakfast?" Hotohori suggested.

   At the mention of food, KC's stomach released a long, loud grumble. She hastily clapped both arms over her offending belly. "Yeah, I could do with a bite," she mumbled as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. "But, before that, would it be too much to ask for-Well, the things is, I _really_ want a proper bath. I'm itchy and my hair feels gross and who knows _what_ kind of dirt and germs I picked up and—"

   He held up a hand to forestall her rambling and smiled. "I'll see that you get your bath," he promised. "I should have done so last night, but you looked exhausted, so it seemed best to let you sleep before anything else. When you've finished, she may show you to my apartments."

   "Thanks," she replied. "Oh, and as for my clothes, I don't suppose it's possible to have them fixed, is it? My shirt is all torn up. I don't know if it can be sewn, but it cost me a lot of money so I don't want to just throw it out. Besides, I don't have any other clothes with me."

   He seemed surprised. "You shall, of course, be provided with clothes and anything else you require during your stay here."

   "Oh, no, you don't have to be so generous," she protested. "I don't want to seem like a mooch or anything."

   He seemed to find the word amusing. "A … mooch, you say?" He smiled whimsically.

   "It's what you call someone who takes advantage of another person's generosity, and doesn't do anything to pay them back. I don't have any way to pay you back."

   His smile deepened. "If you insist on 'paying me back', then perhaps you might reconsider my request to become the Priestess. Becoming the savior of this land would be more than enough payment. We would be entirely in your debt." He rose from the bed and gazed down at her. "I'll send a maidservant to you shortly, and she will see to all of your needs while you are here. When you finish bathing and dressing, please join me to break fast in my chambers." He turned to leave.

   "Thank you," she called after him, and then he was gone.

 


	6. Between a Rock & a Frying Pan

   The maidservant Hotohori sent was called Mei Lin, a small, slender girl only two years younger than KC. She had ebony eyes and glossy black hair that fell in a straight line to the middle of her back. She was pretty, well-mannered, and obviously nervous about being called on to serve the Girl of Legend. KC was just slightly irritated about that. "Um, you know, it's _really_ not necessary to call me 'Your Eminence'," she repeated for the fourth time as Mei Lin fluttered around her like a terrified bird. "I haven't actually _agreed_ to become this Priestess yet and—Sorry, but could you maybe stand still for like _two seconds_? You're making me dizzy just watching you."

   Mei Lin immediately stopped her pacing and bowed low to the ground. "Please forgive me, Your Eminence," she replied timidly.

   KC shook her head and sighed. "Right. We'll work on it. In the meantime, I'd like a bath, and a change of clothes. And I'm supposed to go meet Hotoho—I mean, His Majesty for breakfast." The expression on Mei Lin's face made her realize she probably shouldn't address the emperor by name in anyone's presence except his own. She didn't want to be held responsible for giving someone an aneurysm over such a blatant lack of formality, which Mei Lin appeared to be on the verge of having. "So ... about that bath?" she prompted.

   "Yes, please come with me," the girl replied, bowing yet again as she led KC out of the room.

   The bath turned out to be a small, tiled swimming pool, filled with gently-steaming water, decorated with lilies and lotus blossoms floating on its surface. The room looked like a pagoda, open-aired and shielded by woven bamboo screens, lit by candles and colorful lanterns. Incense hung sweet and cloying in the air. A row of ladies-in-waiting stood at attention, various bathing supplies in hand. They bowed formally when KC entered. "Please allow us to serve you," one of them said, and they all moved toward her and began tugging at her clothes.

   "W-wait!" she yelped, struggling to hold onto her robe. "I can do this just fine on my own!"

   "But we are here to serve you," another replied, voice reproachful.

   "I've been bathing myself since I was four years old. Trust me, I don't think I'll need any help."

   "We shall be scolded if we do not do our jobs."

   "I promise I won't tell if you won't!"

   The women continued to frown at her with obvious disapproval.

   "Your Eminence, please allow them to do their jobs," Mei Lin pleaded. "It is improper that the Priestess should bathe herself!"

   "But I keep telling you I'm _not_ the— _Yeep!_ " KC abruptly found herself sans-clothes, being herded by no less than five women toward the pool of water, and nearly shoved into it. Once there, she found herself being attacked by five pairs of hands that proceeded to lather, scrub, rinse, repeat, and buff her to within an inch of her life. She quickly found that protesting did no good; all it earned her were several mouthfuls of rather vile-tasting, soapy water. Within ten minutes she was hauled from the pool, wrapped in a soft white bath sheet, and dragged back to her room, where Mei Lin already waited with a change of fresh clothes.

   The door shut behind her, leaving her blinking in complete bewilderment. "Uh … what just happened?"

   Mei Lin giggled despite herself. "They are very efficient at their job."

   KC frowned and examined herself. "I guess I should be glad I still have all my skin attached. I feel so violated."

   "Shall I dress you, now? You mustn't keep His Majesty waiting."

   "Er, I'd rather dress myself, if it's all the same to you." KC picked up one of the garments and shook it out. It turned out to be a rather elaborate robe. She frowned and picked up another. A second robe, slightly less elaborate. "Um…"

   "Do you need help?" Mei Lin asked, her voice all innocence.

   "I need my own clothes. What happened to them?"

   "They have been discarded."

   " _Discarded?_ You _threw out_ my _clothes_?" KC gaped at her, incredulous. "That lace shirt cost me seventy-five dollars! And don't even _ask_ how much those jeans were! Do you _know_ how much money that is to a teenager who gets a lousy twenty-five bucks a month for an allowance? And don't even get me _started_ on all the babysitting gigs I had to endure! That was half a year's savings right there! And I only got to wear it twice!"

   "I-I'm sorry." Mei Lin's face crumpled as her eyes filled with tears. "P-please, Your Eminence, d-do not be angry. I-I was going to wash them, b-but Lady Kourin insisted that y-you would prefer new things, as is befitting your sta-station. Sh-she told me to throw the others aw-away."

   KC calmed her temper with some effort. She hadn't meant to make the kid _cry_. "Okay, stop crying. Sorry I yelled," she muttered. "Who's this Lady Kourin person?"

   "Sh-she was m-my former mistress, Y-Your Eminence. I s-served her before I was assigned to y-you."

   "She told you to throw out my things?"

   "Sh-she was v-very insistent on the matter."

   KC pursed her lips. This Kourin person was likely a courtier or something, maybe a nasty one used to getting her own way. If she had made life miserable for Mei Lin, it'd certainly explain why Mei Lin was so terrified of displeasing KC now. "Look, Mei Lin, are you still serving Lady Kourin?"

   "N-no, Your Eminence." Mei Lin mopped at her eyes with her sleeve, sniffling a bit. "I am assigned exclusively to you, now."

   "So you don't have to listen to _her_ anymore, right? If she tells you something like that again, just come and ask me about it. I'll tell you whether it's okay. Right?"

   "L-Lady Kourin will be angry if I disobey her."

   "Lady Kourin doesn't really have a say in the matter. If she bullies you, come tell me and I'll complain to Hoto—I mean, His Majesty on your behalf, okay? _He'll_ set her straight."

   "Y-you would do that?" Mei Lin regarded her, wide-eyed.

   "Sure. I mean, how can you help me out properly if she keeps bullying you and stressing you out?"

   "L-Lady Kourin does not truly _bully_ me. She is just … very particular about how she likes things," Mei Lin explained carefully. "She can be very nice. Sometimes."

   KC smiled. "Well, anyway, show me how to get into this thing, and then go try and salvage my clothes from wherever they were taken. Can you do that?"

   "Yes, Your Eminence."

   "And, Mei Lin, I _promise_ I won't get mad if you just call me KC. Really! Go ahead; give it a try!"

   "K-K-Lady KC?"

   KC huffed a laugh. "I guess it'll do."

* * *

   Mei Lin helped KC into no less than three layers of clothes, explaining how each robe was tied and which layer went where. By the time she'd finished, KC felt as trussed up as a Christmas turkey. "Well, this is great," she muttered, attempting to shake the too-long sleeves away from her hands. "Can you tell me how I'm supposed to actually _walk_ in this getup without falling on my face?"

   "Tread lightly," Mei Lin advised, a teasing smile on her face.

   KC rolled her eyes. "Oh, thank you. I feel _so_ much more confident now."

   Mei Lin actually giggled, and KC gave herself a mental pat on the back for finally getting the girl to lighten up a bit. She combed through her hair and tied it into a loose bun. She added a pair of red and gold hair sticks for decoration and slipped on a pair of silk shoes. She examined herself in the mirror, pulled a sour face at her reflection. "I guess this is as good as it's gonna get. Okay. Take me to your leader."

   Mei Lin led the way to Hotohori's quarters, which really were a lot closer than KC had thought they'd be. There was a guard outside the door, to which Mei Lin bowed and explained, "I have brought the Priestess of Suzaku. His Majesty is expecting her."

   The guard stepped aside, his face expressionless. KC took a deep breath as she opened the large, ornate door leading into the emperor's chambers. Her jaw dropped. If she thought _her_ room was lavish, it was nothing next to the extravagance of the emperor's apartments. She gaped for a moment as the door closed behind her, looking around in wide-eyed wonder. An immense bed commanded attention in the center of the room; blanketed in cream and scarlet linens, strewn with satin pillows and cushions, enclosed by gauzy drapery hanging from the ceiling, it was truly a bed fit for an emperor.

   Elaborate tapestries, rugs, statues, and vases decorated the room with subtle elegance. A golden trunk, etched with images of Suzaku, rested at the foot of the bed. A large wardrobe stood against the wall beside a dressing table. There were also mirrors. Lots and _lots_ of mirrors. Probably more mirrors than was healthy for a grown man to own, KC thought with amusement. He really _did_ have a vanity complex, didn't he?

   With a wry shake of her head, she continued her inspection. Noted various doorways leading into more rooms, all equally splendid in decoration. A set of doors hung open invitingly and led outdoors to a marble terrace, where a small table and two chairs had been set up. The emperor himself occupied one of these chairs, quietly sipping from a cup and gazing over the sprawling palace grounds. The dawning sun made his flowing hair and the profile of his perfect face glow with radiance. He looked like an angel sitting there; all he lacked were wings.

   KC's heart pounded as his astonishing beauty struck her all over again, and she clenched her teeth and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. _Relax. You've gotta get used to him at_ some _point,_ she told herself sternly. _You'll never be able to talk to him if you keep acting like such a spaz!_ She forced a smile to her lips and carefully made her way out to the balcony, mindful of the too-long skirts that threatened to trip her up at any moment. Hotohori didn't appear to realize she was there. He seemed deep in thought, and she hesitated to interrupt whatever matter he pondered.

   The demands of her stomach, however, were far more insistent than her common courtesy. The table had been set with numerous platters bearing a variety of food, all of which issued mouth-watering aromas that enticed her belly into releasing a long, low growl of complaint. KC winced and nervously cleared her throat as she waited for the emperor to acknowledge her.

   Hotohori jumped slightly, turned his head to blink at her before a wide smile crossed his face. "KC, good morning," he greeted, his voice a deep, velvet purr that threatened to melt her legs right out from under her.

   "Good morning," she replied, forcing herself to keep breathing. "Sorry if I kept you waiting for long. I was having … issues getting into this outfit. It's a little more elaborate than what I'm used to wearing." She gave an embarrassed shrug and tried not to squirm when Hotohori gave her a quick once-over. The silk outer robe was forest green, embroidered with birds and flowers in gold stitching. The inner-robes were gauzy, creamy creations stitched with white thread in subtle designs. The purple sashes that held everything closed, and even her silk slippers, were embroidered in red thread with Suzaku's image.

   While dressing, she'd asked Mei Lin what sort of a bird Suzaku was, and had been informed (somewhat huffily, as if she _ought_ to have already known) that he was a Phoenix. While KC found the idea of a genuine, living Phoenix fascinating, she'd had to resist the very strong urge to ask if Suzaku had ever heard of a guy called Harry Potter.

   Hotohori rose gracefully from his seat as she approached, reached out to grasp her hand in a smooth, warm grip and raised it to his lips to press a soft kiss to the back. "You are lovely," he assured her. "The robes suit you, Your Eminence. They are indeed fit for the Priestess."

   Her lips thinned. "I haven't actually _agreed_ to it yet," she reminded him. Her hand tingled where his lips had touched, and the tips of her ears burned. She couldn't figure out why this living, breathing deity of a man kept showing such keen interest in her when every other male she'd come across barely noticed her existence. There was nothing special about her to warrant _this_ much attention. She wasn't supermodel-pretty like Brady or exotic-pretty like Kimiko. "Cute" had always been her best description, and cute was too average to grab most boys' attention.

   Maybe Hotohori treated all women alike. With _his_ looks, he probably had them swooning at his feet left and right. He most likely recognized her very obvious attraction and was teasing her a little. Or maybe he was trying to sweet-talk her into becoming the Priestess. That seemed a likely scenario, but KC couldn't bring herself to believe it. She didn't know him, but he didn't _seem_ like the type who manipulated people into doing his bidding. He was the emperor; all he had to do was snap his fingers, and his will would be carried out. He could have left her in that dungeon until she agreed to do what he wanted. He could have threatened to have her killed or tortured. Instead, he'd apologized for the way she'd been treated, and had since gone out of his way to make her feel welcomed and comfortable. His sincerity _felt_ genuine, and she found that she was coming to trust him. A little.

   Hotohori led her to the other chair. "I realize you must be famished. Please, help yourself to whatever you wish. Would you care for anything else? I can have anything you like prepared."

   "Oh, no, don't trouble yourself. This is more than enough. I mean, I usually only eat a bowl of cereal or toast or something."

   He nodded and seated himself while she shyly picked out several slices of fresh honeydew and cantaloupe. There was more fish (thankfully headless), rice, and plenty of cooked greens. She loaded a plate and tucked in, mindful of the emperor's gaze resting on her as he calmly sipped his tea. She ate slowly, doing her best not to make an ass out of herself in her poor attempts to use chopsticks. She heartily wished for a fork and knife, but doubted anyone had ever heard of such things in this world.

   "So, anyway, I've been thinking about this whole Priestess thing," she began after a few moments of awkward silence. She saw him visibly perk up, and hastened to add, "So, well, you said I had to summon Suzaku. That makes me nervous. There aren't any _sacrifices_ involved, are there? I mean, if I have to, like, kill a goat or a _baby_ or something, you can just forget the whole deal right now, 'cause that ain't gonna happen."

   Hotohori looked astonished before his expression melted into warm humor and he laughed outright. "I assure you, there are no sacrifices of any sort involved," he assured her, still chuckling. "The ritual merely involves standing before the holy fire and chanting the spell as your Seishi stand behind you and pray."

   "Right. That's good. So what's a Seishi?"

   "Your Seishi are the seven warriors of Suzaku, who are called to serve and protect you until you succeed in summoning Suzaku."

   "Protect me? From _what_?"

   He sighed and steepled his fingers, resting them against his lips. "Kutou will, no doubt, realize that we have discovered our Priestess," he said gravely. "They know full well the consequences to _them_ should she succeed in calling Suzaku. With his power, she could stop their invasion and place Konan under protection for the rest of its existence against their advances. Not only that, but she could also seal Seiryu's power, thus rendering Kutou helpless to summon forth Seiryu and reverse the effects, should they discover their own Priestess in the future."

   "Whoa, whoa, now _wait_. Pause, rewind. Seiryu? Their _own_ Priestess? What haven't you told me yet?"

   "Kutou is also protected by a deity," Hotohori explained. "He is called Seiryu, the Dragon of the Heavens. Naturally, there is also a Priestess who is called upon to summon him, as well. There are four countries in this world. They are all protected by their own deity, who each possess a Priestess to serve them."

   "So, you're saying there are other books? And there are other girls from my world wandering around, just waiting to stumble across them and get sucked into _this_ one?"

  "I suppose that is feasible, yes."

   "And could that happen while _I'm_ here?" The thought did not sit well with her.

   "I … suppose so," Hotohori replied, a bit doubtfully. "But there has never been a time in recorded history when _two_ Priestesses have been called into this world at the same time. The Priestesses of Genbu and Byakko, who protect the countries to the north and west of us, came two hundred years or so apart, according to the records. So, it is highly unlikely that it will happen."

   "Then what do I need bodyguards for?"

   "Because you still pose a threat to Kutou. They have not found their Priestess, and should you seal Seiryu away before they do, all of their ambitions shall fall."

   "So, in other words, they'll want me dead."

   "Yes. They likely will."

   "Well, gee golly! That _really_ makes me want to agree to this."

   He sighed. "There is yet another reason for you to find the Seishi. Each one possesses power that you will need to help with the summoning. If even one is missing, the ritual will fail and all will be lost."

   KC stared at him. "Lost. As in … no wishes? No saving the country? And I'll be stuck here _forever_?"

   "Yes."

   She chewed on her lip. "So, it seems likely that Kutou would target _them_ , too. Am I right?" When he nodded, she demanded, "How are they supposed to protect _me_ if they're too busy trying to protect _themselves?_ "

   "The Seishi are _not_ helpless," Hotohori sniffed, a bit offended. "As I said, each one possesses a power and abilities to defend you _and_ themselves against enemy attacks. A Seishi will not be an easy target to kill." His smile was grim.

   "Okay. What about finding them? How would I do that?"

   "The Seishi are scattered throughout the realm. You must search for them. It should not be difficult to locate them, however. There are clues in _The Universe of the Four Gods_ that will help direct you in your search."

   "Which I'm sure would be really helpful. If I could, you know, actually _read_ the thing." KC leaned back in her chair and scrubbed her hands over her face. "You're expecting me to go out into a completely unfamiliar country—which is filled with people who will probably try to _kill_ me, thanks very much—and find these warriors on my own, using a scroll I can't even read. How am I supposed to do that? It could take weeks or months to find _one_ warrior, let alone _seven_ of them."

   "KC—"

   She shook her head and slumped down in her chair. "My mom's gonna freak out. She'll definitely realize I'm missing. I mean, sure, she's always working, but even _she's_ got to notice when her own daughter doesn't make an appearance for a couple of weeks. And my best friends probably already realized I'm missing and are, like, harassing the police to look for me or something."

   Hotohori regarded her seriously. "Forgive me, KC. It was never my intention to distress you. I merely wished to make you aware of the process involved in the summoning."

   "Which is the only way to get home, so I have to do it anyway, right?" she muttered. "I think I finally understand that saying, 'Caught between a rock and a hard place'. Oh, and 'Out of the frying pan into the fire'. And then there's—"

   "KC…"

   "Right. Shutting up now."

   Hotohori chuckled and regarded her fondly. "If it helps, I've already sent summons into the country, requesting that all warriors excelling in the literary and martial arts travel to the palace. Surely, from among them, you may find the ones you seek."

   "Really?" KC sat up straighter. Then she eyed him, suspicious. "Wait, why'd you do that? I haven't _agreed_ yet, have I?"

   He hid a smile behind his folded hands. "I … took a chance, and followed my instincts. They tell me that you _are_ the Girl of Legend, despite your protests. I believe you are the one who shall save my country."

   "Seems like I don't have much of a choice in the matter." She scowled and took a long swallow of juice. "So, how will I know these guys? I mean, do I just pick out seven random strangers from the crowd and hope I guessed right?"

   "Actually, you need find only six of them. And you will know them by the characters on their bodies." The playfulness of his smile belied his mysterious reply.

   She blinked at him. "Six? Characters?"

   He inclined his head, reached up to draw the white ruffle of his robe back from his throat. And KC nearly fell out of her chair in surprise when a flare of crimson light abruptly burst from his neck, fading after a moment to reveal the glowing character that pulsed just above his collarbone.

 


	7. Discovering Seishi (the Priestess Way)

   KC's jaw dropped as she rose to her feet and circled around the table for a closer look at the glowing character. "Whoa," she breathed, leaning in to examine the mark. "That looks like it _hurts_. Does it always do that?" She unthinkingly reached out to probe at it gently.

   A soft chuckle abruptly brought her back to her senses, and she glanced up to discover her face so close to his that their noses almost touched. His remarkable eyes bore intently into hers, a strange expression lighting their depths. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. Then she squeaked and hastily backpedaled, her face flushed with heat as she edged back into her chair. Hotohori, however, seemed more amused than offended.

   "I assure you the mark is quite painless," he told her. "And no, it does not always 'do that'. Only when I will it, or when I am in battle, does it appear."

   She nodded, thoughtful. "And the other six have the same kind of marks?" Then her jaw dropped as realization belatedly struck her. "Wait a— _You're_ one of them!"

   He actually grinned. "Yes. I'm one of them. The seven warriors represent the seven constellations which make up the southern region of the heavens, which is governed by Suzaku. The names of these constellations are Tamahome, Nuriko, Chichiri, Chiriko, Mitsukake, Tasuki … and Hotohori."

   "You couldn't have told me this _sooner_?"

   He tilted his head to one side to regard her as a small smile touched his lips. "Would it have affected your decision?"

   She pursed her lips. No, but it certainly would have answered a few questions, like why he was being so kind to her. It was his duty. Well, _if_ she became the Priestess, that is. "So, if these Seishi all have names, wouldn't it be easy to find them? All we'd have to do is ask if they're named for any of the constellations, right?"

   "It might not be so simple. Some of them may not realize they _are_ a Seishi. They may not know their names, or know of their characters."

   "I'd think it'd be pretty hard to miss a birthmark that swells up and _glows_ on occasion," she deadpanned.

   He chuckled. "Yes, but it may not have appeared at all for some of them. Their power may be dormant until we call it forth. I myself did not discover who I was until my eleventh year when I got into a fistfight with a boy from the city."

   " _You_ got into a fistfight?" she repeated, incredulous. She found it nearly impossible to imagine the gentle man before her punching another boy in the face. Her disbelief was obvious, and Hotohori chuckled again at her expression.

   "Yes, I was at a rather awkward age, unsure of who I was. Rebelling against my very birthright. The boy caught me sneaking out of the palace one morning as _he_ was sneaking into it—A childish dare or a prank on his part, no doubt—and he threatened to tell the guards on me. So I simply stopped him from doing so. Of course, the noise we made during the scuffle brought them all running anyway, so it did no good. And they were too busy trying to catch _me_ to bother catching him, so he escaped his punishment, anyway."

   KC tried (and failed) yet again to picture an eleven-year-old Hotohori scrapping on the ground like a common playground bully. It certainly didn't fit her impression of the graceful, impeccably-dressed man sitting across from her. "So, who won?" she asked impishly. Hotohori shot her a sour look, and she laughed. "Okay, _that_ says a lot. Let me guess. He whooped you, right?"

   "I was a prince, taught in all manner of swordplay and honorable battle. Common brawling was beneath my training," he sniffed haughtily, looking a bit put-out at the muffled giggles that kept trying to escape KC's tightly-closed mouth.

   "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but I'm having a really hard time imagining a shorter version of _you_ getting into a fight," she admitted, struggling to regain her composure. "I do feel better, though. Knowing that even you have the occasional lapse in composure now and then makes me feel like a lot less of a dork."

   He steepled his fingers against his mouth again and regarded her through smiling eyes until a servant arrived to clear what was left of their breakfast, and to remind him of the meeting he was scheduled to attend with his advisers. He sighed and gave KC a resigned smile. "Alas, duty calls," he said. "I fear I shall be busy for the remainder of the day, but please feel free to explore the grounds as you wish. My servants will help you if you have any questions. I should also like you to attend dinner with me this evening, and breakfast again tomorrow. I have greatly enjoyed your company." His expression turned a bit melancholy as he added softly, "I much prefer it to eating alone."

   KC gazed at him with sympathy. She didn't know much about how emperors lived in this era, but she imagined they normally didn't go around sharing meals with the help or anything. He probably always ate by himself, unless he had social functions to attend. She wondered if he had any close friends to relax with, as she did with Brady and Kimiko. Running a country had to be hard work. Didn't he ever get to have any time for himself? "I'd like to have meals with you. I enjoy your company, too," she said shyly. Then, feeling a bit self-conscious at the way his face lit up, she added, "Besides, you're like the only person I really even know in this place, and since you're my Seishi and all it'd make sense to keep you around, right?"

   "Am I your Seishi?" he questioned softly, and she didn't miss the gleam of hope in his eyes. "Are you saying that you accept my request to help my country?"

   She took a deep breath, released it slowly, and nodded. "After all, I have to pay you back for all this somehow, right? I'm not a mooch, remember?" She gave him an awkward little smile and was nearly bowled over by the open gratitude and affection on his face as he took her hands and kissed each one in turn. "I thank you, Your Eminence," he breathed, pressing his forehead to the backs of her fingers. "You have saved us all."

   "D-don't mention it," she squeaked around the pulse pounding in her throat. "Glad to help. Really."

   With an affectionate little squeeze, he released her hands and rose to his feet. "Until this evening, then," he murmured. With a formal bow, he turned and preceded the manservant from his chambers.

* * *

   KC felt sure she was being followed.

   She'd been wandering the palace grounds for several hours now (not that she had any actual way of telling how much time had passed; nobody she met had even _heard_ of a clock before). She spoke to many of the palace residents she happened to come across. Sometimes it was to ask for directions, but mostly it was to tell them to quit bowing as soon as they saw her; it was kind of embarrassing, and it wasn't like she was an _empress_ or anything. She usually went on her way after that … leaving them still prostrate behind her. She had begun to wonder why she even bothered.

   It was as she meandered along the river that she first sensed the presence, and turned quickly around to see who was there. She found nothing but trees and a rather startled rabbit grazing among the long grass on the riverbank, which froze mid-chew when it felt her suspicious gaze. She offered an apologetic little shrug and continued on her way, wondering if she was just imagining things.

   That is until she heard what sounded like a twig snap, and she whipped around, eyes narrowed and searching. Had something just darted behind that tree over there? She couldn't be sure, but she _did_ know it wasn't her imagination this time. Casually, she strolled closer to the river and swept her eyes over the bank until they fell upon a large stone nestled in the grass. She stooped ever-so-casually, under the guise of tying her shoes (until she remembered that she wore slippers), quickly palmed the rock and stood, raised her arms over her head in the completely innocent manner of needing a good stretch.

   She peeked back over her shoulder, frowned when she saw what looked like a foot vanish into the lower branches of the tree. Turned and took careful aim, glad now for the hours of grueling softball practice she'd been forced to endure in gym class. Then she threw the stone with all her might at the spot just above the disappearing foot. She heard it crack off the wood, followed immediately by a startled yelp. A flurry of snapped branches and torn leaves heralded the body that fell out of the tree, landing amid the hail of ravaged foliage with a muffled thud and a pained grunt.

   "What are you doing?" KC snapped, more mad than scared, as the person—a boy barely older than herself, by the looks of him—managed to untangle himself from the branches and jump to his feet, looking a little peeved himself.

   "What are _you_ doing?" he yelled back. "You almost beaned me with that rock!"

   KC rolled her eyes. "Kind of the point," she snorted. "What did you _think_ I would do, let you jump me from behind? Why are you following me?" She looked him over carefully. "You don't look like a guard or a servant or anything, so why are you sneaking around the palace? Are you a spy or something?"

   "No!" he huffed, looking mightily insulted. "I was invited here!"

   She blinked. "By who?"

   Now he rolled _his_ eyes. "By the _emperor_ , dummy. How else could I get into the palace so easily and wander around like this?"

   She frowned and pursed her lips, then snapped her fingers as a thought occurred. "Oh, you must be one of those warrior-people Hotohori … erm … His Majesty invited over to figure out who're the Seishi and all that, right?"

   "Yeah…" He nodded slowly. "I'm one of 'em."

   KC grinned and stuck out her hand. "Well, in that case, I'm KC, and I'm the Priestess of Suzaku. Nice to meet you!" The boy eyed her hand like it was a coiled viper, and she quirked an eyebrow. "What? Never heard of a handshake before?" When he didn't reply, she sighed and grabbed his hand, pumped it up and down for a moment before releasing it. "I don't have cooties, you know. This is just how two people say hello in _my_ world."

   "I … see. Interesting." He gave her a long once-over. Then, after a moment, he began to circle, still examining her from head to foot.

   KC patiently bore this scrutiny for all of thirty seconds before she crossed her arms over her chest and fixed him with a withering glare. "That's a very good vulture impression, but are you quite finished? Just _what_ are you looking for?"

   He shrugged. "Proof."

   She blinked at him. "Proof of what?"

   "That you're really the Priestess of Suzaku."

   "Excuse me!"

   "Well, you aren't exactly what I was expecting in a Priestess," he muttered.

   "Oh, really? So what _were_ you expecting, a twelve-foot Amazon with laser beams shooting out of her eyeballs?" KC huffed.

   He shot her an odd glance. "What's a laser beam?"

   "It's a—" She stopped and threw her hands in the air. "Oh, never _mind_! Suffice to say, your expectations are highly overrated." When he continued to look skeptical, she fixed him with a dark stare. "And what about _you_?" she continued. "What kind of proof do _you_ have that says you're my Seishi, huh, huh, _huh_?"

   He smirked. "I never said I was a Seishi."

   KC sputtered. "Come off it!" she huffed. "You wouldn't even _be_ here if you didn't think you were some kind of mystical, holy warrior."

   "Unless I'm actually a spy like you suggested," he replied, all innocence as he examined the blunted nails on one hand.

   KC pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Oh, well, in _that_ case, I guess I'd better start screaming bloody murder, huh?" She drew in a deep breath to do just that, and his hand abruptly clapped over her mouth as the other one held the back of her head.

   "Okay, okay! I was just kidding! I'm not a spy! Jeez, can't you take a _joke_?"

   "Noifinisntfnny," she mumbled into his palm. When he removed the offending hand, she repeated haughtily, "Not if it isn't _funny_."

   "Some people have no sense of humor," he sniffed, brushing a stray twig from his sleeve.

   "Okay, so, where's _your_ proof?" she insisted, repeating his vulture impression as she circled him. "Either you show it to me or I start yelling and believe you me, I can yell really loud if I have to. I'll have every soldier in this castle running here in thirty seconds flat if you don't satisfy my curiosity, mister."

   "Okay, okay. Give me a moment," the boy grumbled. "It usually doesn't appear unless I'm fighting someone, but…" He sighed and brushed the long, blue-black bangs away from his forehead, closed his eyes, and concentrated. After a moment, KC was only half-surprised to see a faint, reddish glow appear in the middle of his forehead. It grew brighter and brighter, taking on the distinct shape of a Chinese kanji. Not that she was an expert, but she thought it looked different from the one on Hotohori's neck.

   "Proof accepted, Seishi number two," she said cheerfully. "So, which one are you?"

   "I'm called Tamahome." He let his shaggy bangs fall over his forehead as the mark faded back into his skin.

   "Tamahome," she repeated. "So why were you following me around?"

   He shrugged and looped his arms behind his head. "I heard people whispering about you, so I decided to see for myself if you were who they said you were."

   "Hmmm." She pursed her lips. "Not one for the direct approach, apparently." She waved her hand dismissively. "Well, anyway, come on, Tama, I gotta take you to Hotohori now and tell him we found another one! He'll be thrilled!"

   " _Tama?_ " he protested as she led him at a fast pace back to the palace courtyard, which she noticed was filling with all kinds of people, mostly men.

   "Would you prefer 'Home' instead?" she teased, and he rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, there's Hotohori now!" She abruptly switched directions and pulled him up the stairs of a hastily-constructed dais on which two ornate chairs were positioned. He couldn't help but gawk in astonishment as he realized that in one of the chairs was seated none other than the emperor of Konan, himself.

   "Hotohori!" KC called unabashedly as she stopped before the emperor, dragging a suddenly-nervous Tamahome around to stand beside her. "You'll never _guess_ who I found already! Well, technically, _he_ found _me_ , but let's not quibble the details, right?" She grinned widely and slapped her companion on the back heartily. "Meet Seishi number two, Tamahome!"

   Hotohori did, indeed, look surprised as he eyed the other man curiously. Tamahome eyed him right back, more than a little astonished at the fact that his brother Seishi was the _emperor_ , of all people. And then, to KC's bewilderment, both men, at the very same time, suddenly pointed at each other incredulously as startled recognition dawned on each face.

   " _You,_ " Hotohori gasped, clearly stunned.

   " _You,_ " Tamahome parroted, equally surprised.

   " _Both_ of you!" KC cried, throwing her hands in the air. Then, scratching her head, "Wait, do you two _know_ each other?"

   "Er, we've … met." Tamahome scratched his head, expression sheepish.

   "When? And why are you so shocked?" she pressed.

   "KC, do you recall the story I told you? About the boy in the palace?" Hotohori asked.

   "Uh-huh. You—Oh." Her eyes widened. " _Ohhhhh!_ " She turned on Tamahome and pointed in his face. " _You!_ "

   "Yes, me," Tamahome grumbled, grabbing her finger. "Will you stop that? And don't look at me like that, I was ten years old, for crying out loud!"

   "Tsk. Shame on you for beating up your emperor!" KC couldn't help teasing the poor guy. "You were a regular little hoodlum, weren't you?" She laughed at the expression on his face and continued, "Bet you're not so tough _now_ , huh?"

   "Stuff it," Tamahome growled, and she giggled and darted behind the empty chair before he could grab her.

   " _Now_ who can't take a joke?" she taunted, sticking her tongue out at him.

   "Are you _sure_ you're the Priestess? You act more like my little sister than a dignified young lady."

   In response, KC stuck out her tongue again and crossed her eyes for good measure.

   "We can and will vouch for KC's claim," Hotohori said, threading his fingers together as he regarded the girl with amusement. Turning his gaze to Tamahome, he added sternly, "We have asked her to become the Girl of Legend, and she has accepted Our request. Thereby, she is your Priestess as well as Ours, and you are her servant, so kindly treat her with a bit more respect."

   "Y-yes, Your Majesty," Tamahome stuttered, sufficiently cowed by the emperor's serious gaze.

   KC took pity on him. "Aw, go easy on him, Hotohori, please? I don't care if he talks to me like that. I _was_ teasing him." She plopped into the empty chair beside him. "Besides, I'd rather have friends than servants, anyway. Friends are easier to get along with, aren't they?" She smiled at Tamahome, who smiled uncertainly back. Then, changing the subject, she gestured at the milling crowd spreading across the courtyard and asked impishly, "What's all the hubbub, bub?"

   It took Hotohori a moment to decipher her question. "The warriors I summoned are beginning to arrive. Tomorrow, we shall begin to examine them to find the remaining Seishi. It gives me hope that we've found one, already. Perhaps our luck will hold out."

   "There are so _many_ ," KC breathed, examining the mass of men (and a few women) critically. "I'm supposed to pick six … er … five of them out of the whole gaggle?"

   "Do not worry, KC," he soothed. "The Priestess and the Seishi call to each other. You shall succeed in finding all of us."

   "Why did so many people show up, though?" KC frowned. "Do they _all_ seriously think they're a Seishi?"

   Tamahome snorted. "Most of 'em are probably here for a shot at the money," he surmised.

   KC raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hotohori. "Money?"

   The emperor's smile was a bit sheepish. "I offered sufficient salary to those who would be Seishi, for their service, to you and to the throne. It is only fitting, after all."

   "Wait, you're offering to _pay_ them to serve me?" she cried, indignant. She turned accusing eyes to Tamahome. "Is that why _you_ showed up?"

   He merely shrugged, linking his hands behind his head as he lounged on the steps below them. "Man's gotta eat somehow," he replied glibly.

   KC sputtered. "So … so what happened to all that fate and destiny crap everyone kept feeding me?" she huffed.

   "KC, KC, KC." Tamahome reached out and patted her knee, his smile patronizing. "A little _incentive_ never hurt anybody, now did it?"

   KC glared and jumped to her feet. "I'll give _you_ incentive, you—"

   "Whoops!" He chuckled as he darted from his seat and headed down the steps. "Well, gotta go unpack and all that. Busy, busy! Talk to you later!" He waved over his shoulder as he vanished into the crowd.

   KC pouted and flopped into the chair again. "Hmmph. Nice guy," she huffed. "I feel _sooo_ much safer with _him_ on the team."

   Hotohori smiled and reached over to squeeze her hand reassuringly. "Do not worry, KC. He will be a fine warrior. I am certain he'll serve you well."

   "Sure, just so long as nobody robs your piggy bank in the next few months," she snorted, earning a chuckle in return.

   They sat together in companionable silence, watching the goings-on below them as advisors and servants came and went, receiving orders and instructions from the emperor and keeping him updated about the happenings occurring inside the palace as long-distance travelers arrived and settled in.

   KC dozed in the warm sun, the noise a steady, pleasant hum in the back of her mind, when a strange chill suddenly shot up her spine that had her instantly awake and sitting straight up, looking all around her.

   "KC?" Hotohori paused in the middle of signing a document presented to him by a richly-dressed merchant. "Is something wrong?"

   KC scratched her head, relaxed back into the seat. "I—No, I think I just felt someone … _watching_ me," she replied, uncertain. "It was like … a really malicious feeling." She took another look around, then shrugged. "Well, it's gone now, anyway."

   Hotohori frowned, his golden eyes sweeping over the array with brows drawn together. He signaled a nearby servant to him. "Please inform the guards that there may be an unwanted visitor among us." The merchant slipped discreetly away, ignored by the emperor. "Have them on double alert for anything suspicious until further notice. There may be a threat to Her Eminence's life." The servant bowed and hurried away.

   KC felt herself go cold, swallowing hard. "Do you … think it could be one of those Kutou assassins?" she asked numbly.

   Hotohori took her hand again and held it between his two, caressing the back of it lightly in a manner that set her stomach to tingling, despite her fear. "Please do not worry," he murmured, his voice a warm, rich purr in her ear. "I'll not let anything happen to you. They would not dare attack in such an open place, with so many witnesses about. All the same, you should retire to your quarters for a bit. You seem tired; perhaps a rest would restore your spirits."

   She nodded, rising to her feet. "I guess a nap couldn't hurt."

   "Can you find your way?" he asked. "Shall I escort you?"

   Her smile was brighter now. "That's sweet of you, but I'll be okay. You look like you've got your hands full as it is," she replied. "But, are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help you? I mean, I don't know much about political stuff, but maybe I can, I dunno, help organize or something."

   His smile was warm. "Thank you, but it is well in hand. Rest, then, and I'll see you again at dinner tonight."

   "Okay. See you later." She hopped down the steps, strangely reluctant to leave him. She realized how much she enjoyed his company. And she found it easier to talk to him now, too. It seemed the more time she spent in his presence, the less his presence overwhelmed her. Tamahome was pretty handsome, too, she thought, but she hadn't stuttered or blubbered even once since meeting _him_. She interacted with him the same way she did with her best friends. Just one of the guys. _So maybe Hotohori is like a vaccination against my chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome,_ she mused. _The more exposure I get, the less I get affected._ She found herself tickled by the idea.

   Then, two more advisors came barging straight at her in the midst of a heated argument and nearly knocked her clean off the steps before they bowed hastily and stopped in front of Hotohori's chair. Where they promptly continued to argue and attempt to speak their opinions to the emperor at the same time. He listened with a sort of weary patience. Apparently, this was not the first argument he'd had to witness among these particular advisors, but KC could see they were beginning to wear on his nerves.

   Before she thought about what she was doing, she had climbed the steps again. "Um … excuse me, Your Majesty?" she interrupted politely. The advisors stopped mid-sentence and turned to stare at her. She shot them a tight smile, which became more sympathetic when she turned it on Hotohori. "I don't really remember how to get to my quarters from here," she began. "Would it be too much trouble to request that you escort me to them?"

   One of the advisors began haughtily, "Your Eminence, surely there are _servants_ who could–" He was cut off, however, as Hotohori gracefully rose to his feet and replied, almost too hastily, "It would be this Seishi's honor to escort Your Eminence to her rooms." Turning to the advisors, he nodded regally. "If you will please excuse us." And, without another word, he pushed past them and made his way from the dais with KC at his side. She had to fight to hide a smile at the obvious relief on his face, and the shell-shocked expressions on the faces of his advisors.

   "Looks like I was able to help you out, after all," she teased as they made their way through the crowd, which parted before them like the Red Sea.

   "And I cannot thank you enough," came the droll reply.

   As they walked into the palace, KC once again felt that strange, chilling gaze settle on her back, focused and intense. She whirled around and scanned the area with narrowed eyes, searching for anything suspicious (not that she'd know what suspicious _was,_ even if she saw it). The feeling faded again, and she shrugged and started on her way when, from the corner of her eye, she saw a lone figure striding quickly away from the scene, along an outer hallway at the far end of the courtyard. She squinted to see better, wondering if it was an assassin, but it looked merely like a richly-dressed noblewoman, her long hair unbound and flowing down her back in a silky fall. KC blinked and rubbed her eyes, almost certain she was seeing things. In the light of the sun, that wealth of hair had looked to be colored a vibrant and most disturbing shade of _purple_.

   Realizing that Hotohori was waiting for her, she turned around and hurried after him, shaking her head wryly. "And people think _my_ hair's a weird color."

 


	8. An Impromptu Concert & a Rival is Met

   The afternoon found KC in her room with the contents of her pack scattered all around her. She was in the midst of attempting to do her homework; _attempting_ being the objective word. She might've had more luck in actually finishing it if—being such an easily-distracted creature—she wasn't also busily drumming on her trigonometry textbook with a pair of mechanical pencils while head-banging to Queen's _Bohemian Rhapsody._

   Thus, she never noticed Tamahome as he leaned against the door jamb and fought to contain his amusement at the hilarious picture she made. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed with her hair flying all over the place (and tangling in her earbud cords), face screwed into a grimace as she belted out the lyrics along with Freddie Mercury.

   " _So you think you can stop me and spit in my ai-ee-yai! So you think you can love me and leave me to diieee! Ooohhh, bay-bee! Can't do this to me, bay-bee! Just gotta get oooout! Just gotta get right outta hee-yaaah!"_

   Tamahome couldn't take it anymore; he clutched his sides with his arms and gave way to hysterical guffaws that were loud enough to be heard even over the blaring music. KC jumped, startled, and turned her head to gawp at her unexpected visitor. Her face slowly turned crimson as she realized what he must have witnessed. She jerked the buds out of her ears—and managed to yank out several strands of hair along with them—glared at him and threw one of the pencils at his head. "Don't you know how to knock?" she snapped.

   "I did knock. Repeatedly. And then I heard this hideous wailing so I thought maybe you were being attacked." He deftly caught the other pencil as it hurled toward his chest and examined it with a critical eye.

   "I do _not_ wail," KC huffed, insulted. "I can sing just _fine_ , thank you. And _you_ can get outta here! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

   "Yep. The question is, just what are you in the middle _of_?" he asked impishly as he sauntered farther into the room.

   "My homework," KC sniffed. "I don't have anything _else_ to do, and it needs to be done anyway so I might as well get it over with and just _what_ are you staring at?"

   Tamahome had fixed his gaze on the bright metallic green iPod and earbuds lying beside her on the bed, a glimmer of interest in his eyes. "What _is_ that thing?" he asked. "Is it something from your world?"

   She shrugged. "It's my Nano. It plays music and—Will you stop _staring_ at me like that? You're giving me a serious case of the willies!"

   Tamahome was most _definitely_ interested now, the glimmer having turned into something of a maniacal gleam at the mention of her world. "Can I have it?" he begged. "And maybe some other stuff, too. Like those … whatever-they-are?" He pointed to the books in front of her.

   She frowned. "They're textbooks and _hell_ no! Do you have any idea how much one of these things _costs_?" She clutched the Nano to her protectively. "I'd be glad to hand over the books, but the school would probably demand my firstborn child as compensation. Why would you want them, anyway? It's not like you can _read_ 'em or anything."

   He snorted. "Are you _kidding_ me? Do you have any idea how much I could sell this stuff for? Stuff from the Girl of Legend's world? I'd be richer than the emperor!"

   KC rolled her eyes. "Seriously, is money all you ever think about?"

   He smirked, unabashed, as he looped his arms behind his head and shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."

   "You're a regular Scrooge McDuck, aren't you?"

   "A what?" He blinked at her in confusion.

   "Never mind. So." She grinned slyly. "Wanna listen to some music?" She dangled the buds enticingly from her fingers.

   His eyes widened. "Really? I could really hear music from your world from these things?"

   "Yep. Hope you like rock."

   "Er…"

   She giggled. "Just listen." She showed him how to put the buds in his ears, then handed him the iPod. "Press this to play," she instructed, pointing to the button. Then, sliding her finger around the white circle, she added, "and this adjusts the volume up and down."

   He nodded distractedly, turned the player over in his hands as he examined it with something akin to awe. "It's so light," he murmured reverently. "What a strange metal."

   KC hid a grin. "It's aluminum, I think. Anyway, have at it."

   Hesitantly, Tamahome's thumb pressed the play button. There was a moment of silence, and then the opening notes to Bon Jovi's _Livin_ ' _on a Prayer_ blasted out of the earbuds, so loud that KC could hear it from two feet away.

   The effect was immediate on Tamahome. He yelled loudly and yanked the buds out of his ears, slightly wild-eyed as he threw the player at KC, who fumbled hurriedly to catch it. "Wh-what _was_ that?" he gasped, shaking his head to clear his ringing ears.

   KC couldn't help herself; she cracked up. "Sorry," she managed around her giggles. "Guess I accidentally turned the volume up too far. Then again, not everyone likes their rock as loud as I do."

   Tamahome grimaced and rubbed his ears. "You shouldn't listen to music that loudly. You'll end up going deaf," he scolded.

   "Huh?"

   "I said that you shouldn't listen to loud music. You'll go deaf."

   "What's that?"

   "I _said_ , you shouldn't—" He shot her a sour look as she smirked at him. "Very funny."

* * *

   "Why am I here again?" Tamahome questioned later as he followed KC down a long, empty corridor, watched as she opened yet another door and poked her head inside to see what was on the other side of it.

   "'Cause you're my Seishi and it's your duty to watch out for me?" Seeing nothing of interest in the room—just another empty bedchamber (which was a good thing, considering the last one had been occupied)—she closed the door and continued on her way. "Besides, Hotohori said I could explore the palace, and it's not like _you_ have anything better to do, right?"

   "Exploring, huh?" Tamahome snorted. "Looks more like snooping if you ask me."

   KC slanted him a dry look. "I didn't ask you. 'Sides, you're getting paid to be here, right? Better start earning your payroll or I'll ask Hotohori to cut it in half."

   He blanched. "You wouldn't!"

   She smiled sweetly at him and skipped down the hall.

   "Argh!" Tamahome scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "If I'd known I was gonna wind up babysitting some snoopy little—"

   "Snip, snip, snip!" KC sang, cutting the air with her fingers.

   Tamahome shut up.

   For about thirty seconds. "Just what are you looking for, anyway?" he grumbled as he peered into the room she was currently examining (and almost got the door shut on his nose for his efforts).

   KC shrugged. "Dunno yet," she replied cheerfully, "but I'll figure it out when I find it."

   He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Is that supposed to be some kind of logic in your world?"

   She laughed. "Nope. Just in my mind."

   "Well, _that_ explains a lot then, doesn't it?"

   She turned to stick out her tongue at him, then opened another door at the end of the hallway, which turned out to lead outdoors, on the other side of the same courtyard from which they had started. Her jaw dropped as she stared blankly around. She could see the dais below on which Hotohori had earlier been sitting, but the milling crowd of travelers had diminished; no doubt, they were all getting settled into their quarters.

   " _Gah!_ " She smacked her hand to her forehead.

   Tamahome laughed. "Had enough?" he teased, mussing her hair.

   She pouted. "This place is a rat maze. It's amazing nobody gets _lost_ in it."

   "Except you, of course."

   "Oh, like _you_ could do better?" She huffed a sigh and slumped against the wall. "Geh. I wanna go take a walk in the gardens. Or maybe I should actually finish my homework…"

   " _Or_ you could always start wailing to that noise you call music agai—OW!"

   KC smirked and retracted the heel that she'd ground into Tamahome's foot. She skipped down the steps into the main courtyard. "You know, I never had a brother to torment before," she called over her shoulder. "This could be fun."

   "I've got two sisters under the age of ten," Tamahome retorted as he limped after her into the gardens beyond the courtyard, "and they _both_ act more grown-up than you do."

   "Oh, yeah?" KC cackled evilly. "Just wait'll they hit puberty!"

   Tamahome opened his mouth for another insult but stopped when he noticed KC's posture abruptly stiffen. Curiously, he watched as she looked wildly around, apparently searching for … _something_. He frowned. "What's the matter now? What're you looking for?" He half-suspected a trick of some kind.

   However, KC seemed serious enough as she turned to face him, frowning. "Don't you _feel_ that?" she responded, rubbed her arms briskly as if warding off a chill.

   He blinked in confusion. "Feel _what_?"

   "Someone's watching us," she insisted, eyes narrowing. "I felt 'em this morning, too. But Hotohori put the guards on alert so you'd think they'd have the sense to make themselves scarce."

   Tamahome looked around, letting his inner senses awaken, trying to detect the presence of a possible enemy. After a moment, he shrugged. "I'm not sensing anything. What does it feel like, exactly?"

   "Oh, I dunno. But I think 'a sense of impending doom' is a pretty accurate description."

   "You're exaggerating," he scoffed. "I don't sense anything evil around."

   She rolled her eyes. "Just 'cause you don't feel it, doesn't mean it's not there," she pointed out. "Maybe _you're_ just not the hotshot Seishi you're supposed to be."

   "And just what is _that_ supposed to—"

   "Hey! It's her again!" KC pointed to a figure half-hidden behind a pillar some distance away. "I saw her this morning, too." Her eyes narrowed. " _She's_ the one who's been watching me!"

   The woman started to draw back. Then, apparently realizing she'd already been caught, she seemed to change her mind and stepped forward again, revealing herself fully. Even from twenty feet away, KC could feel the icy stare the woman had fixed on her. " _What_ is her problem?" she muttered uneasily. "Why does she keep _staring_ at me like that? I never did anything to her!"

   "She doesn't look like a hired assassin to me," Tamahome snorted. "H-hey! Where're you going?"

   "I'm _going_ to get to the bottom of this," KC muttered as she marched determinedly forward. "If that woman has an issue with me, then she needs to come out and tell me instead of just shooting Evil Eye beams at me all the time. It's really _creepy_."

   "Now … just hold on!" Tamahome protested, grabbing the back of her robe. "Don't just go waltzing up to potential danger like that! What are you, stupid or something?"

   "But, Tamahome, she doesn't _look_ like a hired assassin," she replied sweetly. "Remember?"

   He sighed in exasperation. "Quit throwing my own words back in my face."

   "Well, stop giving me such easy openings to toss 'em! Too late, anyway; we're already here." KC fixed a saccharin smile on the woman, who regarded her with a haughty expression. Up close, the woman wasn't just pretty, she was amazingly beautiful. Her smooth, milky skin glowed like white jade. Her large, red-violet eyes currently radiated extreme irritation. Delicate, petite features, and a full mouth that pursed into a most displeased pout. Her dark purple hair (despite its bizarre color) rippled in a gorgeous mass of shining, silken waves over the shoulders of her expensive robes and down her back. She clutched a silk fan in one delicate hand; it was closed, and at the moment being wielded rather like a weapon. This woman could definitely give Hotohori a run for his money in the looks department, except KC had never seen Hotohori looking so pissed-off before.

   All the same, she wasn't about to back down just 'cause of a pretty face, no matter how plain and un-pretty she felt in comparison. "Hello," she began amiably. "I couldn't help but notice you've been watching me lately, and the vibes you're sending out are really starting to get on my nerves. Have anything you wanna tell me to my face?"

   Tamahome slapped a hand to his forehead and rolled his eyes heavenward, prepared himself to break up an oncoming fistfight if need be.

   The woman sniffed and flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. If she was nervous at being called out, she hid it well. "Yes," she replied in a low, slightly husky voice. "I want you to stay away from His Majesty."

   KC blinked at her. "Come again?"

   "The emperor! Stay away from him, do you hear me? You've been spending entirely too much time with him since you got here and there have been rumors going around that—" She shook her head, clenched her hands so hard that the fan creaked in protest. "Just keep your distance from His Majesty. How dare you be so close to him!"

   "Um…" KC glanced at Tamahome, who looked about as confused as she felt. "And … you would be his … secret lover or something? Are you like a servant?"

   The woman immediately turned red, gasping in outrage, clearly offended. "I am no such thing! I am one of the Imperial Consorts!"

   KC blinked again. "Consorts?"

   "She lives in the harem," Tamahome supplied, raising an eyebrow.

   KC choked. " _Harem!_ You mean she's a _concubine?_ " And then, as the implications of _that_ statement caught up with her, "Wait, Hotohori has a _harem?_ " She supposed she looked more shocked than she ought to have, but the knowledge that Hotohori kept his own petting zoo of beautiful women was just a bit … unsettling.

   "Not _concubine_ ," the woman sniffed haughtily. " _Consort_."

   "You mean there's a difference?"

   The woman rolled her eyes in a don't-you-know- _anything_ sort of way, but Tamahome patted her shoulder soothingly. "She and a bunch of other women have been brought here for His Majesty, so he can eventually choose one to be his Empress."

   "Uh-huh. So, what happens to the ones who don't get chosen? Do they get sent home again?"

   "It is traditional for an emperor to take more than one wife if it pleases him," the woman sniffed. "The empress, of course, would be his favorite, and the head wife of all the rest, but they would also have their duty of bearing children for His Majesty should the empress fail to produce a sufficient heir."

   Right. KC suppressed the urge to snort. There was no difference at all. The woman was a glorified concubine no matter what she wanted to call herself. She felt it prudent not to mention that thought aloud, however.

   The woman sighed heavily. "I've been here for a year now, and aside from our introductory meeting, His Majesty has never come into the Seraglio even once! We've _all_ been accepting that he isn't ready to take a wife, even with the threat of war hanging over our heads, but now _you_ come along, and within the first moment of meeting you, he has barely left your side since! What is so special about you that he should spend his important time with you?" she cried angrily. "You aren't even that pretty! I mean, look at your hair; whoever heard of stripes, anyway? And _blue_ eyes? Are you sure you're not the offspring of one of those _heathen_ people Kutou wiped out years ago?"

   KC took a faltering step back, feeling as if she'd just been sucker-punched in the gut. Her cheeks flamed at the insults. She'd long since accepted that she was no beauty, not like Brady and Kimiko, but she'd never thought of herself as _ugly_ so much as _normal_. Still, it was the first time somebody actually had the gall to insult her looks to her face, and needless to say, she was really pissed off about it.

   Eyes narrowing, she clenched her hands into fists and stood her ground. "And _this_ is coming from a woman whose head looks like a radioactive _eggplant_?" Gathering steam, she stalked up to the woman and got right in her snooty face. "And just who the _hell_ do you think you are, anyway?" she half-yelled, noticing somewhat distantly that the woman was barely taller than she was, their eyes almost even. "You don't even know me, so what the hell makes you think you have the right to judge me? What gives you the right to tell me who I can and can't spend my time with?" She faltered, drew a breath, and continued, "I _like_ Hotohori. He's a great guy! He's also the one who helped me most when I got here, so I depend on him. He _also_ happens to be my Seishi, so I should _think_ that would make him more _mine_ than _yours_. And obviously, there's something the matter with _your_ looks if you've been here a year and he's never given you a second glance. Or _maybe_ it's that stuck-up attitude of yours. If I was him, I wouldn't want a fat-headed snot like you, either!"

   The woman stood there, mouth gaping like a dying fish, as she sought to respond. Clearly, she had never expected her prey to actually fight _back_. KC crossed her arms smugly over her chest and tapped her foot against the ground, pursed her lips as she waited for the consort to gather her wits. She was dimly aware that several people—most likely the various servants and couriers wandering through the yard—had gathered at a safe distance around them to witness the fight, but her temper was up and she ignored the fact that, as the Priestess, she probably shouldn't be making such a spectacle of herself.

   The woman, however, did seem to care that there were several witnesses to the argument. She finally managed to gather her dignity and drew herself together, looking down her pretty little nose at KC. "Just keep your distance from Hotohori, or you'll be sorry," she growled.

   "Ohhhh, making threats now, are we?" KC taunted. "How very ladylike."

   The woman flushed and whirled to stalk away.

   "Now, hold on," KC called after her. "You should at least tell me your name. I mean after we've had _such_ a touching heart-to-heart and all."

   The woman fixed her with an icy stare. "My name is Kourin. But _you_ may address me as 'My Lady'."

   KC pursed her lips. Now why was that name so familiar…? "Ah!" she cried out, pointing. "You're Mei Lin's former mistress!" Her eyes narrowed. " _You're_ the creep who told her to throw out my clothes." Which she had not gotten back, as of yet. "You owe me a butt-load of money for that outfit, lady," she growled.

   Kourin merely sniffed.

   "Is that why you're pissed? 'Cause Hotohori took your servant away? Geez, get _over_ it and hire yourself a new one! Don't be so petty."

   She was rewarded with a glare as Kourin turned in a huff and stomped away, ignoring the servants who leaped out of her way lest they be caught in the wake of her ire. KC rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, gee wiz! I think I just made a new friend," she proclaimed sarcastically.

   "You do have a way with women," Tamahome deadpanned and was rewarded with an elbow in the gut.

* * *

   As it turned out, Hotohori was forced to cancel the evening meal he'd planned to have with KC. One of the spies who had been sent to Kutou to assess the situation had returned; after conferring in low tones, Hotohori immediately called a meeting with his advisors and the generals of his army. They locked themselves in the large office where KC had first met Hotohori, and nobody had seen them since.

   Even though she understood, KC was still disappointed. She'd been looking forward to the meal and spending more time with the emperor. He always appeared so calm and composed. She had to admit that it was nice to spend time with someone like that. All the excitement was beginning to wear on her, and his presence seemed to help soothe her jangling nerves.

   Well, there was no help for it. Tamahome had taken himself off somewhere, so she decided to take supper in her own room to avoid the stares and whispers that constantly followed her around. She even managed to talk Mei Lin into eating with her. Well, more like demanded it, when the girl initially refused. And she also managed to coax information out of the maid, discovering that Mei Lin was working to earn money in order to support her elderly mother and younger sister, as her father had died a year before from a lingering illness in his body (from the description, KC suspected it had been some sort of cancer). Hotohori had graciously given the girl a job as a maidservant to Lady Kourin, and everyone had taken her under their wing to teach her the ways of the palace. Mei Lin liked her job, even though it was hard work, and Lady Kourin could be somewhat terrifying when she was displeased. She'd been honored to serve her, though, and was even more honored to have been promoted to serving the Priestess of Suzaku. "Perhaps, if I do a good job, I'll be given a raise," the maid shyly admitted. "My sister is growing so fast; she has already nearly outgrown her shoes. I must buy new ones for her soon."

   KC smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'll ask His Majesty if you can have a raise," she promised. "I know it's gotta be hard work to support a family without a dad around. I don't have a dad, either. My mom works all the time to support us."

   "I'm sorry. I did not realize your father had also died."

   "H-he isn't dead." KC forced a weak smile. "He took off when I was thirteen, and my parents divorced right after. He lives in Chicago—That's a city in a different part of my country—and my mom and I live by ourselves.

   "So you must work, as well? It seems strange to think of the Priestess working for a living," Mei Lin said.

   "Like I keep telling you, I'm just a normal girl over there. I don't work, though. I attend school most of the day. My mom does all the work."

   "School," Mei Lin breathed, eyes wide. "Are women truly allowed to attend school in your world? To learn of the things only men know?"

   "'Allowed' isn't really the right word for it. More like forced," KC joked weakly. She was coming to realize just how precious the education she'd always taken for granted really was in this world, especially to her own gender. "I could try teaching you some stuff I've learned if you like. Although, I don't know if you'd understand. When it comes to reading and writing, I think there's a sort of language barrier," she confessed. "And of course my world's history wouldn't mean anything to you. Drawing wouldn't be any use to you... But maybe, I dunno, some simple mathematics? Adding and subtracting numbers and such?"

   "Y-you would truly teach me this?" Mei Lin looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

   KC laughed sheepishly. "Well, so long as Konan's numeral system isn't too different from what I know, and as time will allow, I guess. I get the feeling I'm gonna be awfully busy for awhile, traveling around looking for Seishi and all that. And then, of course, the summoning, and after that … I'll finally get to go back again." She trailed off, thinking of home. She wondered if her mom had even realized she'd gone missing yet.

   "Is something the matter, Lady KC?" Mei Lin asked, noticing the frown on her face.

   KC snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, not really. I was just thinking of my mom and … missing home, I guess." She paused. "How old did you say you were, again?"

   "I'm fourteen years, Your Eminence," Mei Lin replied politely.

   KC blew out a breath. "You're younger than me, but you act so grown up and mature. I feel like a little kid next to you." She chuckled as Mei Lin blushed at the compliment.

 


	9. Idiot's Guide to Searching for Seishi

   The next morning, it was Tamahome who woke KC; the emperor was still at his meeting and sent his apologies that he would not be joining her for breakfast. KC shoved down the disappointment of having been twice dumped over a bunch of crabby old men, and invited Tamahome to have breakfast with her, instead. He gladly agreed, especially after she promised to show him more of the "wondrous stuff" from her world. While they ate, she managed to talk him into telling her more about his life, and discovered he came from a village a day's ride away. Like Mei Lin, he'd originally come into the city to find work. That was when he'd heard the emperor's announcement and had gone to the palace. He also had an elderly father who was sickly, and four younger siblings; his mother had died giving birth to the youngest daughter, Yurien. From the way he spoke, KC could tell that he loved his family very dearly.

   "Is that why you're so obsessed with earning money?" she asked. "Because you're supporting all of them?"

   If he was surprised at her observation, he was too busy stuffing his face to show it. "Yeah, pretty much," he agreed and popped an entire pork dumpling into his mouth. That was quite the feat, considering the meat bun was the size of a softball. Apparently, he didn't get to eat _this_ richly in his normal line of work.

   "Hmmm. Well, then I suppose I'll forgive you for only signing up to be my Seishi 'cause of Hotohori's money," KC teased and was rewarded with a clump of rice being flicked at her face.

   "Your graciousness overwhelms me, Your Eminence."

   She grinned and chewed on a pear.

   Suddenly serious, Tamahome put down his chopsticks. "You _do_ know I'd be your Seishi, even without the payment, right?" he asked. "I mean, despite the money, it _is_ my destiny and all. To deny you would be the same as denying who I am."

   KC stared at him for a moment, and then a smile quirked her lips. "Why, Tamahome, are you, like, confessing your _love_ for me or something?" she asked, coyly batting her eyes.

   The mouthful of tea Tamahome had been on the verge of swallowing instead ended up all over the table in a fine spray as he began to sputter and cough. KC eyed the mess with distaste. "Ew. You know, that _really_ isn't sanitary—"

   "Th-that wasn't a _love_ confession!" Tamahome wheezed. His face had gone beet-red. "I was just … just…"

   She cracked up, leaned back in her chair and clutched her stomach with both arms. "Oh, _man,_ I wish you could see the look on your face right now!" she exclaimed amid her giggles. "You look completely terrified!"

   "Sh-shut up!" Tamahome snapped, trying to retain his scattering dignity. "I'm not in love with you!"

   "Oh, _that's_ a relief."

   "I don't even—Hey! What's _that_ mean?" Tamahome stared at her, slightly wounded.

   KC grinned. "Oh, no offense or anything, but you're not really my type," she teased.

   "Oh, really? Then what _is_ your type?" He pouted for a moment before a sly grin touched his lips. "On second thought, I suppose tall, rich, admittedly handsome emperors are more to your liking. A guy like _me_ wouldn't stand a chance, eh?"

   Now it was KC's turn to start coughing; a bite of pear flew across the table and smacked him in the eye. "Th-that's not funny!" she wheezed, pounding on her chest with her fist as she fought to swallow the half-chewed pear. "For your information, I don't _have_ a type. But if I did, you're definitely not it!"

   There came a knock on the door, interrupting the squabble, and Mei Lin poked her head inside, nodded shyly at Tamahome when she saw him there. "Lady KC, Lord Tamahome, His Majesty requests your presence at the courtyard as soon as possible. He would like to begin the interviews with the guests."

   KC rose to her feet as she hastily finished off her pear. Tamahome shoved one final dumpling into his mouth. "You're not wearing _that_ , are you?" he mumbled around his mouthful, regarding her clothes critically.

   KC frowned and looked down at her attire. She'd requested a simple pair of loose-fitting black pants and a long white tunic, which she'd belted at the waist with a scarlet sash. It looked similar to Tamahome's own get-up she and knew it was considered a man's outfit, but it was far more comfortable and easier to move around in than the elaborate robes she'd worn yesterday. "What's the matter with it? We're going to the courtyard, not to some black-tie formal. Whaddaya want, a friggin ball gown?" she complained.

   "What's a ball gown? I have no idea what you're talking about." He chuckled and knocked her on the head with his knuckles.

   "That's nothing new. Seems like you don't have a clue about a lot of stuff," she retorted, jumped ahead with a yelp when he took a playful kick at her backside. "Hey, now, is that any way to treat your Priestess? I can still get your pay docked, you know!"

   They continued to banter until they reached the dais, where KC found Hotohori sitting in all his imperial glory. Her smile widened at the sight of him, and she waved and bounded up the stairs. "Been awhile since I've seen you!" she called, doing her best to ignore the stares and whispers of the crowd filling the yard below them. "I thought maybe the floor opened up and swallowed you or something."

   "It rather feels that way," the emperor agreed and offered a faint smile in greeting.

   KC's own grin faded when she saw how pale and tired he looked. Despite that, however, he still held himself with a regal air. She sighed. Always the emperor, it seemed, even when he was dead on his feet. Poor guy. "Hey, are you okay?" She sat beside him and gently rested her hand on his arm. "You look really worn out. Did you sleep at _all_ last night?"

   He blinked down at her, somewhat surprised, before his hand came up to cover hers and squeezed gently. "Do not concern yourself about me," he murmured. "I'm fine. This is not the first time I've spent a night with my advisors."

   "I don't suppose you actually ate anything since yesterday, either," KC accused. At his slightly guilty expression, she sighed and shook her head. "Now, how can you expect to stay healthy if you don't eat or sleep properly?" she scolded. "Maybe one you can do without, _occasionally_ , but not both. You ought to eat a proper meal before we start all this. It wouldn't be very good if the emperor passed out in front of all his subjects."

   He chuckled. "I assure you, I'll be fine," he insisted. Then, noting the stubborn tilt to her chin, he added, "I give my word that as soon as this is over, I'll return to my chambers and have a decent meal."

   " _And_ ask not to be disturbed for at _least_ five hours, so you can get some real sleep," she added firmly.

   Something poked her shoulder. She turned to find Tamahome leaning over with one elbow propped on the arm of her chair, his chin propped on his fist, a droll expression on his face as he regarded her. "Soooo … do you make it a _personal_ habit to order the emperor around as if you're his mother?"

   KC huffed a protest. "Well … _somebody_ has to look after the poor guy," she objected. "His councilmen don't seem to give a rat's ass about his health, keeping him up all hours of the night and not even _feeding_ him and all!"

   Tamahome smirked. "Is that any kind of language for a lady to use?" he teased.

   "Oh, shut up." KC scowled and slouched down in her seat. "Who're _you_ , my dad? I'm the Priestess and he's my Seishi, so it's practically my _job_ to make sure he takes care of himself! Right, Hotohori?" She turned to smile at him, only to find him regarding her with an odd expression in his eyes. She blinked. "Wh-what is it?"

   His smile, when it appeared, was slow and almost sensual as he shook his head. KC's heart nearly stopped at the sight of it. "Nothing," he replied softly. "I was merely … thinking."

   "A-about what?" Meaning, specifically, what could have put such a _look_ on his face?

   To her astonishment, he reached up to trail his knuckles softly over her jawline, gently pushed a lock of hair away from her cheek. Her eyes widened at the intimate gesture. She could almost _feel_ her entire body turn red, starting with her face. "I was just thinking how wonderful it feels to know that somebody truly worries for me," the emperor murmured, the soft expression still glowing in his eyes.

   KC felt herself melting under the force of that gaze. "Oh," she squeaked. "Okay." Turning away quickly—So much for her immunity-to-exposure theory!—she again found herself face-to-face with Tamahome, who now looked rather smug. "What is it _now?_ " she growled. It was _annoying_ to be stared at all the time.

   "Oh, nothing, nothing," he replied with a flippant wave of his hand. "Just … _thinking_."

   " _Urrgh!_ " KC flung herself back in her seat and crossed her arms sulkily over her chest. " _Men._ "

* * *

   A mere ten minutes later, she found herself standing over a variable sea of people, hundreds of eyes all fixed on her with expectation, and wished heartily for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Because it had just occurred to her that she had absolutely _no_ _idea_ how to go about figuring out which of the many, many fighters were her would-be Seishi. "Ummm," she muttered, "a manual would be helpful right about now. Something like _Beast Deity Summoning for Dummies._ Or maybe _The Idiot's Guide to Searching for Seishi_. Yeah. That'd be great."

   She glanced helplessly at Hotohori, who merely offered an encouraging smile at her. She managed to refrain from rolling her eyes ( _Fat lot of help_ you _are, pal_ ), stepped to the edge of the dais and took a deep breath, determined to give it her best shot. "Um," she began uncertainly. "Uhhh … if anybody in the crowd has a Chinese symbol on their body that occasionally swells up and glows, please step forward now. The rest of you can … go home. I guess."

   The crowd shifted and murmured, uncertain glances exchanged. KC glanced back at her two Seishi, only to find Tamahome shaking his head with a hand over his eyes. Hotohori looked a bit pained. "Well, what am I _supposed_ to say?" she hissed. "It's not like I've got a bloody _clue_ what I'm doing here!"

   "Way to instill confidence in the people, Your Eminence." Tamahome snorted as he got to his feet, quickly stepped aside as KC's heel headed for his instep. "Well, guess it'll all be up to me!" he proclaimed and cracked his knuckles. "A warrior's symbol appears when they're battling, right? So, I'll take 'em all on and that way we can find out who's got what where!"

   KC blinked. "There's something faulty with that logic, I just _know_ it," she muttered, scratching her head.

   "You got any better ideas?"

   She gave a careless shrug and flopped back into her chair. "Right then. Battle away, O mighty warrior!"

   "Whooo yeah! This's gonna be fun!" Tamahome crowed as he pranced eagerly into the crowd. "Okay, who's up? C'mon, c'mon! Don't be shy! Ladies first!"

   KC snorted into her hand, shaking her head. "I've unleashed an egomaniac," she muttered drolly. Hotohori chuckled. She thought he sounded a bit nervous, as though he couldn't decide on whether he ought to be amused or anxious. She smiled and gave his arm a reassuring pat. "Oh, relax. Let the boy have his fun. Who knows? Maybe he'll actually find another one?"

   Fifteen minutes and a pile of unconscious bodies later, however, proved that "another one" was nowhere within the vicinity of the crowd. Tamahome looked around with a frown to survey the carnage he'd caused, then shrugged and dropped the final limp body to the floor. "Looks like there aren't any Seishi here!" he called.

   KC glared at him. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. You'd better be grateful there are no such things as lawyers in this world, or your ass would _so_ be sued for assault and battery!"

   Tamahome paused, attempted to decipher what she'd just said, then looked up with a puzzled, "Huh?"

   KC dropped her head into her hands and huffed. "Clearly, _I'm_ the one who's got to sort this mess out." She stood and stomped down the dais, looking at the groaning men as they attempted to regain their senses. "All right, you buncha pansies. Since Tama-home-boy here is obviously too much for your feminine sensibilities to handle, how about you take _me_ on, instead?" She rested a fisted hand on her hip and jabbed her thumb into her chest to make her point.

   "What're you doing?" Tamahome yelped, clapping his hands over KC's mouth. "You're just gonna piss them off!"

   She yanked his hand away. "Gee, ya think?" She leaned in closer. "Look, if just fighting them doesn't make their symbols appear, maybe getting them mad will?"

   "Not a good idea," Tamahome protested. "Some of these guys are really mean. You think they won't attack just 'cause you're a girl?"

   "If they call themselves real men they won't." She turned back to the group. "Well? Come along, children! Make your move. I don't got all day," she taunted. "Prove that you're worthy of being my Seishi! And if any of you are just here for the emperor's purse, then go crawl back under your rock! I don't need that kind of protection from the likes of you!"

   There was definite unhappy muttering among the crowd as more and more warriors got to their feet, malevolent stares fixed on the Priestess. "Who do ya think you are, insultin' us like that?" one of them called angrily.

   "Awww, whatsa matter? Did I hurt your widdle feewings?" KC tsked at him and waved a finger. "Better run home to Mommy before you get hurt! Leave room for the real warriors." Something caught her eye. "Oh, look! There's one of 'em now!" She pointed to an old servant who toddled along not far away, lugging a bucket of water. The old lady stopped in her tracks and blinked when KC's words registered; she cackled and playfully flexed a skinny arm, eliciting both amused laughter and more disgruntled muttering. KC smothered her grin. "Maybe you should take her on, instead," she jeered. "You might actually win that way."

   Well. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. KC realized belatedly just how far she'd pushed their tempers when, as one, nearly the entire crowd surged forward. Swords hissed from their sheaths and vile curses and threats spewed from bearded mouths. She yelped and frantically backpedaled, beelined toward the nearest shelter even as Tamahome gave a war cry and dove into the fray. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hotohori leap down the dais steps, as nimble as a gazelle. He'd drawn his sword, too, prepared to defend his Priestess. KC wished she wasn't so busy fleeing for her life that she couldn't stop to watch him fight.

   A pagoda was suddenly in her way ( _Where the hell_ _did_ that _come from?_ ), and rather than lose precious time going around it, she tried to run straight through. However, once inside, she discovered that no other exit existed. A stone railing blocked her path and kept her trapped inside as the furious mob bore down on her from behind.

   "Oh, shi-"

   She was cut off mid-curse when something whistled past her ear, clipped her smartly on the cheek and hurtled into one of the marble pillars with a resounding crack. Thrown off-balance, she slipped and landed on her ass, gaped in stunned amazement at the large, wooden mallet lying on the floor at her feet. "A mallet? _Seriously?_ What is this, Loony Toons?"

   " _KC!_ " she heard Tamahome yell and turned to assure him that she was okay, even though her cheek smarted something fierce. She didn't even get her mouth open before another crack, like a gunshot, resounded in her ears. Her eyes widened as she glanced back and realized with horror what was happening. The mallet had hit with such force that the pillar had cracked clear through, and now the weight of the ornately carved roof was causing the two halves to slip and crumble. In another moment, the entire structure would collapse right on top of her.

   " _SHIT!_ " she screamed, scrambling to her feet and preparing to throw herself out of the falling pagoda. But another force suddenly slammed into her, knocked her backward from the direction she was _trying_ to go, and before she knew it she'd landed flat on her back with Tamahome's prone form sprawled on top of her. "What're you _doing_?" she shrieked, as soon as she could catch her breath. "I was trying to get _out!_ "

   There was no time to answer as the roof gave way with an audible groan and several more deafening cracks. KC screamed and covered her eyes, braced herself in preparation to be crushed beneath several tons of rubble. But several moments passed. And then several more. And even after the horrible roar of falling rock had ceased, she slowly reached the astonishing conclusion that she was somehow still breathing.

   She cracked open an eye, and her vision immediately flooded with brilliant red light. She sucked in a sharp breath as she realized that Tamahome was still stretched over her, braced on his hands and knees with what looked like the entire weight of the roof pressing down on his back. His symbol blazed like a small sun, and she could clearly see the pained expression on his face as a trickle of blood made a thin trail from temple to jaw. Her jaw dropped in complete bewilderment as she gazed up at him, their faces only inches apart. "Wha—What did you—Are you completely _crazy?_ " she gasped, too stunned to be angry at his stupid display of heroics. "You could've killed us both just now!"

   "F-fine way to show … appreciation … for just saving your … life," he grunted, as his arms trembled and strained with the effort to hold up the weight on his back.

   "Tamahome … you…" KC trailed off, for once having no sarcastic reprimand. "You shouldn't have done that," was all she could think to say, her voice barely a whisper.

   He managed a strained smile. "Gotta … earn … those wages. Didn't I tell you … I'd protect you?" The structure gave another low groan, and he winced as his arms bent a little. He cursed softly and fought to keep from sinking further. "C-can't … hold it much longer," he admitted.

   She could see how heavily he was sweating. His entire body trembled with the strain, and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's my fault. If I hadn't gotten them so riled up…"

   He quirked another smile. "It was … kinda funny." He released a pained chuckle. "You got spunk, I'll give ya … that much." The sweat on his forehead dripped over his brow and into his eyes. KC reached up to wipe it away gently with her sleeve, smiling despite her tears.

   "You make a really great big brother. I always wondered what it'd be like to have one. If I did, I hope he'd be as cool as you."

   Tamahome managed another smile, but that was all. His entire focus shifted to supporting the crushing weight of the fallen building and protecting his Priestess. The only thing KC could do was lay there and wait and hope and pray.

* * *

   "Remove that beam!" Hotohori ordered as he lifted chunks of roof tile and fallen timber away from the pile of rubble burying KC and Tamahome. He could not fight the sick, roiling feeling of terror that had uncurled in his stomach from the moment the building had collapsed; if he'd bothered to eat anything lately, no doubt he'd have heaved it all over the floor by now. As it was, he fought back the sick dread and continued to aid in removing the rocks. He irritably shrugged off the hands of his advisors as they attempted to get him to stand away. How could he _possibly_ stand by and do nothing while _she_ was underneath this mess, injured or maybe even dead?

   He grabbed the fallen beam pinning a large chunk of the roof to the ground, strained with all of his might to lift it away from the mess. It was no use. Despite his strength, the beam was just too heavy, weighed down by other sections of roof and rock. "Please, be all right," he prayed as he sweated and strained. "Please, do not die now. Not before I have a chance to—"

   "Sire," came a soft, sympathetic voice from just behind him. Startled, he whipped his head around to find a beautiful young woman standing there, her eyes lowered demurely to the ground. "Might I be of some assistance?" she offered.

   He blinked, certain he'd heard wrongly. "You?" he asked, unable to keep the skepticism from his voice.

   In reply, the courtier raised her eyes to boldly meet his. A hint of defiance glinted in their red-violet depths and without a word, she tossed her silken braid over her shoulder, pushed back her sleeves, and took firm hold of the heavy beam that Hotohori had attempted to move.

   Then she lifted it and tossed it aside as if it weighed no more than a feather.

   The gathered crowd stopped to gawp with dumb wonder as the woman proceeded to do the same with the next large chunk … and the next … and then the next. She dug her way through the mess with the ease of a child tossing crusts of bread to a flock of birds, heedless of any passersby in their path.

   Several panicked yelps sounded as certain observers suddenly found themselves the targets of flying debris. They hurriedly flung themselves out of the way as the broken pieces landed with heavy thuds that no doubt added several good-sized cracks into the decorative courtyard floor. Then again, everybody was too busy gaping at the amazing spectacle the courtier made to take much notice of the damage she was causing.

   With a final heave, the last section of roof went flying (nearly landed on an unobservant advisor before he took an ungraceful nosedive out of its path). Both Tamahome and KC were revealed, rather dazed but seeming none the worse for wear after their brush with death. They blinked in the sudden light, more than a little confused over the sudden rescue.

   "Um, what just happened?" KC ventured after a moment.

   "Huh. Looks like they're still alive," the maiden observed as she casually brushed the dust from her sleeve. "They have the devil's own luck, don't they?"

   "Wh-who _are_ you?" Hotohori breathed, his golden eyes wide as he watched the newcomer with something akin to wonder.

   " _You!_ " This sudden yelp came from KC, who'd been helped to her feet and now stood with a gaping jaw and a finger pointed accusingly at the woman.

   "Now this seems familiar," Tamahome snorted, then released a yelp of his own when the helpful physician applied a stinging salve to the cut on his head.

   "We meet again." Kourin eyed the Priestess and smirked demurely.

   KC had never realized anyone could smirk demurely before. She was somewhat impressed. "You—But why did—You saved … er…" She seemed to be at a loss for words, which did not go unnoticed by the consort.

   "Of course I saved your life," Kourin began, her tone pitying. "After all, isn't it a Seishi's job to protect his or _her_ Priestess?"

   " _What?_ "

   There was no telling who shouted the word first; it seemed to come from everyone at once.

   "Oh, my. Didn't I _tell_ you?" Kourin covered her pursed mouth with a dainty hand and blinked her large doe-eyes with childlike innocence. She clutched the neckline of her elaborate robe, pulled it back ever-so-slightly to reveal a glowing crimson symbol burning just above her left breast.

   Slack-jawed, KC stared at the sign, up at Kourin's supremely smug face, back down at the sign…

   And that was when her body promptly decided it was high time for it to pass out.

* * *

   She woke up vaguely disoriented, wondering where she was and how she'd gotten there. She cracked an eye open, realized she was in bed and frowned in confusion. Hadn't she just been in the courtyard? Voices murmured beside her and she turned her head to see that the room was full of people. Tamahome, Hotohori, Mei Lin, and—to her utter surprise—Kourin were there, speaking amongst themselves in hushed voices.

   Tamahome seemed to be in the midst of some sort of debate with Kourin while Mei Lin looked on with unabashed interest, her head swiveling back and forth like an observer at a tennis match. Hotohori simply propped his elbows on the table, hands folded at his mouth, golden eyes apprehensive as he stared blindly down at the wooden surface, lost in his own little world.

 _Geez, everyone is so serious,_ KC thought. She carefully sat up and scratched her head. Nobody appeared to notice that she'd woken up. It occurred to her, since they were in _her_ room and all, that she might be the cause of their concern. Perhaps it would be best to reassure everyone that she was okay? "What's with all the doom and gloom, people? I feel like a guest at my own funeral," she quipped, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

   "KC!"

   "Your Eminence!"

   "Oh. She woke up." That was Kourin, of course.

   KC pulled a face and prepared to snipe back, right before she found herself being engulfed in voluminous sleeves and a pair of strong, warm arms, pulled against an even warmer chest. She blinked several times from her new vantage point of chin buried against a red-clad shoulder, her vision filled with hair the color of polished pewter. "Um…"

   "I am so relieved that you are safe." Hotohori's deep voice came softly to her ear, his breath a warm caress against her neck, making her shiver. "I was so afraid you were … that you had…" He trailed off, and his arms tightened around her so fiercely that she thought her ribs might crack.

   "Urk! A-air! I need air…" she gasped, slapping at his arms. He loosed his grip just enough for her to suck in much-needed oxygen. He did not, however, let her go, and all she could do was try to act as nonchalant as possible, as if it was an everyday occurrence to be wrapped up like a sushi roll in the arms of the most beautiful man in the universe. Who also smelled really, really _good_ , she realized as she breathed in the subtle, sweet fragrance of his hair.

   It wasn't so bad, being hugged like this, she decided after a few silent moments, during which Hotohori readjusted his hold to cradle her gently against his chest. His head bent over hers, cheek to temple. His loosened hair brushed her nose while his thumb softly caressed her cheek. It actually felt really good to be held in such a manner, kind of comforting and warm, and under other circumstances, she maybe wouldn't have minded staying put a little longer.

   At the moment, however, what she _really_ wanted to do was kick the knowing little smirk off Tamahome's face. And then maybe make a mad dash for her life, because the look on _Kourin's_ face screamed nothing less than a very slow and agonizing death if she _ever_ got her claws into her.

   "Uh, you know, as nice as this is, people are staring," she muttered. _And I'm about to die if you don't let go, like,_ five minutes _ago!_ She tried her best to ignore Kourin's seething glare.

   Hotohori slowly withdrew his arms, rested his hands gently on KC's shoulders as he searched her face. "How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere? Do you remember anything?" he questioned anxiously.

   "Oh, sure I—Wait. Who are you again?"

   At Hotohori's panicked expression, KC hurriedly waved her hands. "I-it was a joke! A joke! I was teasing! I'm just fine, honest!"

   The emperor seemed to slump forward a bit, released a long breath and sat back whilst shooting her a slightly reproachful glance. She offered a sheepish, apologetic grin in response. "Eh, sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. What happened, anyhow? How'd I end up in here?"

   "You're joking, right?" That was Tamahome. "You passed out, dummy."

   Her jaw dropped. "Nu-uh!" she protested. "I so did not! You're lying! He's lying, right, Hotohori?"

   She looked at the emperor, who merely smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid Tamahome speaks the truth. You fainted in the middle of the courtyard, right after Kourin—perhaps she should be called Nuriko, now—revealed her identity as the third Seishi."

   KC banged her forehead against her drawn-up knees. "I can't believe I fainted. I _never_ fainted before! I'm a disgrace to my gender!" she wailed.

   Mei Lin tittered while Kourin—Nuriko—smirked. Tamahome just rolled his eyes. "Well, you can hardly be blamed. I mean, a pagoda did collapse on you," he pointed out.

   "Oh, yeah!" KC's head snapped up. "Are _you_ okay, Tamahome? I mean, you didn't break anything, did you?" she asked.

   He shrugged. "I got a few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. Still, that was an awful lot of trouble you put me through, you know. Don't do anything stupid like that again, okay?"

   "Stupid!" KC sputtered. "Excuse _me_ , Mister Wannabe Hero! Who's the idiot that pushed me back _into_ the pagoda when I was trying to jump _out_ of it, huh? Next time maybe you could make some better calculations before you go and save me so we both don't end up dead!"

   "Yeah … well … who's the idiot that deliberately riled up that mob to begin with?" he retorted, but nevertheless looked a bit sheepish.

   "You mean _after_ you beat them all up?" KC's lips twitched as she crossed her arms. "Okay. _Maybe_ I went a little overboard," she admitted.

   "And something good did come from all of this," Hotohori added. "You succeeded in finding your third Seishi."

   "Oh, yeah!" KC fixed Nuriko with an injured look. "How come you didn't tell me before that you were my Seishi?" she asked. "I might've been a little nicer to you if I'd known." _Although,_ she _could've also been a little nicer to_ me…

   "It didn't cross my mind." Nuriko focused on rearranging the way one of her sleeves draped across her lap.

   KC eyeballed her with pursed lips. _I'll just bet it didn't_.

   "Nuriko's the one who saved us," Tamahome pointed out, his voice filled with admiration. "She lifted all that rubble off of us like she was flinging pillows. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't have reached us in time. We'd both be squashed flat by now."

   "Really?" KC gave the consort a wide-eyed glance. "So your power is being freakishly strong?"

   "I wouldn't put it _that_ way," Nuriko snapped.

   "Then how would you put it? Abnormal?"

   "Why, you—!"

   "I believe, since it seems KC is feeling better, that Nuriko might be willing to get settled into her new quarters." Hotohori effectively ended the argument as he regarded Nuriko. "Naturally, because of your duty to the Priestess, you are dismissed from the Seraglio. You will room near KC along with Tamahome and myself, and the other four Seishi when we find them. You may return to your former quarters and pack your belongings and I'll send somebody to have them moved immediately."

   "As you command, Sire." Nuriko's voice was tinged with sadness even as she rose gracefully to bow low to the emperor. And the bitter resentment in the brief glare she leveled at the Priestess didn't go unnoticed.

   KC thought she could almost feel sorry for her; it seemed like Nuriko's hopes were all being dashed to pieces, just because she had shown up and become Priestess. No wonder the Seishi seemed to hate her so much. Still, she knew they'd have to get along. She supposed convincing the woman that she _wasn't_ out to steal Hotohori from under her nose might go a long way in putting a dent in her hostility. _If I can't count on her to be my Seishi, then this summoning business is never going to work and I'll be stuck here for good._

   With that rather foreboding thought in mind, KC put together the opening plans of "Operation: Make Friends with Nuriko." Step one: convince the disgruntled Seishi that killing her Priestess wouldn't do the empire any favors in the long run. And after that…

   Well, after that, she supposed she'd just have to wing it.

   KC had never been very good at planning things out ahead of time.

 


	10. The Royal Matchmaker

_I must have a death wish._

   KC stood before the door of Nuriko's chambers and tried to remember why she'd come. Oh. Right. That whole making-Nuriko-not-hate-her idea. She sighed and wished she'd worn armor, or at least something a bit more protective than the towel wrapped around her hair and the soft robe belted snugly at her waist. Maybe she should have waited until morning to confront her newest Seishi, with the fortification of breakfast, and possibly Tamahome, to back her up. On the other hand, she reasoned, it was probably better to resolve their misunderstandings as soon as possible, before she lost her nerve completely.

   The fact that she'd started to lose it anyway, now that she was actually _there_ , was beside the point. _Where has my sanity fled to, I wonder?_ She wished heartily to go look for it, but as she'd already knocked, it was a little too late to turn tail and run now.

   Her ears picked up telltale signs of movement from inside the room; hurried footsteps, a muffled thud followed immediately by a sharp yelp, and then Nuriko's slightly pained, "Enter!"

   Opening the door cautiously, KC peered around it into the room and found the woman lounging like a big, purple cat on a silk-cushioned chaise. "Ummm … are you okay? I heard some noises…"

   Nuriko's brief expression of surprise quickly gave way to irritation. "What do _you_ want?" she sniffed.

   "It's nice to see you, too. Mind if I sit down? Oh, why thank you." KC plopped unceremoniously into a chair. "So, what was all the noise about? Are you, like, hiding a lover under your bed or something?"

   Nuriko turned bright red and stood up. "I was only changing," she huffed. "It's nothing!" Nevermind that her "nothing" seemed to be the cause of a distinctive limp. "Was there something in particular that you wanted, or did you just come here to annoy me?" She hobbled to her vanity and picked up an ivory comb, ran it brusquely through her silken hair.

   "Yes." KC got down to business. "I came to assure you absatively, posolutely, one-hundred percent that I do not have any plans or desire to seduce His Majesty away from you." Not that she could if she tried. The very idea was kind of laughable, actually.

   Nuriko paused in her frantic hair-combing to eye her.

   As she _wasn't_ attempting to gouge out KC's eyeballs with said comb, she took it as a sign to continue. "Hotohori is my Seishi and my friend, and that's as far as it goes between us. I mean, I've only known him for like three days, and besides, you said it yourself. Why in the world would a guy like that ever go for a girl like _me_? I'm not empress material at all. And I'm not ready to get married to _anyone_ at the moment."

   Nuriko frowned. "Then why was His Majesty embracing you in such a manner in your room earlier?" she accused.

   KC felt herself blush at _that_ particular memory. She felt warm inside just thinking about it. But now was hardly the time to dwell on such pleasant memories, she reminded herself as she took note of the thunderous expression directed her way. "Er, well, Hotohori's really an affectionate sort of person." She squirmed a bit in her seat. "So, I guess it's only natural he's relieved that the single hope of saving his empire is … you know … not dead and all. Hey, I bet if it'd been his puppy caught under that mess, he'd have reacted the exact same way, right?"

   "His Majesty doesn't have a puppy."

   KC's eyebrow twitched. "Um, I think you kinda missed the point with that one."

   Nuriko sniffed and went back to combing her hair.

   "Look, I'm a victim, too, ya know!" KC clenched her fists as her grasp on her temper began to slip. "I don't know how to convince you I'm telling the truth. I'm sorry you got taken out of the harem and all but how is that _my_ fault? Do you think I _want_ to be here? I just want to go home right now and hang out with my best friends and hug my mom, but until I get this whole summoning thing over with I'm stuck _here_. It'd make life a lot easier if you'd cooperate. I mean, think about it, will you? Hello, logic? The sooner I can summon Suzaku, the sooner I'll be out of your hair, and the sooner _you_ can go back to wooing Hotohori without any worry of interference on my part, 'cause _I'll_ be back home where I belong. That should make _both_ of us happy. Everyone wins!"

   "Very well." Nuriko finally put down the comb and turned to face her, a crafty gleam in her eyes. "If you truly mean what you say, then prove it to me," she challenged.

   KC's brow furrowed. "Okaaaay… And I do that … how?"

   Her smile was bright but held a sharp edge. "Since you claim you have no designs on His Majesty, then it really shouldn't bother you to help _my_ case along." She examined her manicured nails with utmost innocence. "The emperor seems to hold you in high esteem. Surely if you drop a few hints here and there, let him know how _I_ feel and how I'd make a wonderful match for him as his empress, he'd start to seriously consider my potential."

   KC's jaw dropped. "You want me to set you up? When did I become the royal matchmaker?" she exclaimed, indignant.

   Nuriko glared. "Do you want my help with the summoning or not?" she growled.

   KC considered pointing out that there really wasn't a matter of _choice_ on Nuriko's agreement. No more than _she'd_ had one when she agreed to be the Priestess. If one Seishi was missing, the entire effort of the summoning would be useless. Hotohori would certainly be displeased if his empire crumbled to ruin because Nuriko refused to cooperate, which certainly wouldn't win her any points.

   Still, if it meant being able to live peacefully with the high-strung woman, KC supposed _one_ little favor couldn't hurt. Even though the idea of telling Hotohori about Nuriko's feelings didn't sit quite right. That, she thought, or the fried pork she'd eaten for dinner was backing up on her.

   "Are you sure it wouldn't be better for you to tell him these things yourself?" she asked hopefully. "I mean, I'm sure a love confession would mean _so_ much more to him if he heard it straight from the horse's mouth and all."

   Nuriko actually seemed to consider that for a second. "Well, maybe I—Hey." Her eyes abruptly narrowed. "Who're you calling a horse?"

   KC nearly fell off her chair. "Idiot…"

* * *

   "Are you _sure_ I can't go and change first? It's not exactly proper to appear before the emperor wearing nothing but a bathrobe!" KC hissed, dragging her feet as Nuriko determinedly pushed her down the hall.

   "Strange, _I_ thought he already saw a lot more than just your robe."

   Nuriko smirked as KC blanched, then turned bright red. "Does the whole _palace_ know about that?" she hissed.

   "This place is a cesspool of gossip and slander, and word travels fast. Better get used to it." Nuriko gave her arm a condescending pat. "And there's his door. Now go for it!" She gave the Priestess a final shove that sent her careening down the hall before disappearing around the corner again. "Come straight back and tell me what he said!" she called gaily over her shoulder.

   KC muttered a few unsavory comments under her breath as she straightened herself and knocked on the door. She was surprised to find it unguarded for a change, but it certainly helped her out. No need to contend with nosy guards, at least. This was going to be humiliating enough.

   "Please enter."

   Taking a breath, KC pushed open the door and stepped into his chambers, surprised to find them empty. "Uh … Hotohori?"

   "KC?" Hotohori's surprised voice drifted from the immense bed, and she stepped timidly forward until she spotted him sitting on its edge, half-hidden by the gauzy drapes. He was gowned in a deep crimson robe, and he looked delighted to see her. "KC, what a pleasant surprise. Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable. May I get you anything? Would you like some tea?"

   "Oh, no, I'm fine. I just, uh, wanted to talk to you about something." Her courage yet again started to fail her; even the thought of Nuriko's reaction should she fail her quest couldn't muster it. "But I can see you're busy so I'll be glad to come back later!" She half-turned, ready to flee back to her own chamber and lock herself inside. Not that Nuriko couldn't just break down the door to get to her…

   "I am never too busy to speak with you." Hotohori graced her with a heart-melting smile before his expression became more serious. His "emperor face", as KC privately termed it. He gestured for her to sit.

   She glanced around, found nothing suitable to sit on within the immediate vicinity aside from the bed itself, and promptly decided it would be much more comfortable to stand. She worried a lip for a moment and pondered on how to broach the subject of Nuriko's feelings. How would Brady handle something like this, she wondered. Or Kimiko, for that matter? Neither of them was prone to beating around the bush. Especially when it came to guys, Brady was always embarrassingly direct.

   "Um, I was just wondering if there's … anybody that you … liked," she finally ventured, after a few awkward moments. She felt silly, like a twelve-year-old attempting to confess to a first crush who was still in the girls-have-cooties stage. His astonished glance didn't help, and she felt herself blush. "Uh, I'm not trying to be nosy or anything," she hastily added. "It's just that I know somebody who really likes you and … um … she wished for me to speak with you on her behalf."

   At his questioning, strangely hopeful look, she continued, "This person… Well, it's Nuriko."

   To her surprise, his face darkened slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing through those remarkable eyes so quickly that she might have imagined it. "She really, _really_ likes you," she pressed on, just trying to get this most embarrassing conversation over with. "She would like it if you'd consider her to become, well, your empress, I guess."

   Hotohori continued his silent scrutiny and she shifted, self-conscious. Why didn't he _say_ anything? Or maybe he felt just as awkward as she did? He didn't seem like the awkward type, but she'd clearly caught him off-guard. "Ah, I guess she should've told you all this herself, but believe it or not, she's kinda shy." She offered a timid smile. "I, uh, thought I'd try and help her out, give you a heads-up about her feelings since you're looking to get married soon and all. I mean, that's what I heard, anyway."

   Hotohori's expression finally softened into a gentle smile. "What of you?" he asked, completely ignoring her question. "Do you have someone _you_ deeply care for in your own world?"

   KC blinked several times, lips parted in a surprised O. She had not expected him to turn tables on her! "I—Well, no, not really," she stammered, wondering how he had managed to shift the subject so skillfully.

   "Not even Tamahome?" Hotohori ventured after a moment. "The two of you seem to get along … admirably."

   "Tamahome?" KC sputtered around a laugh. "No, no, no! It's not like _that_ between Tama and me! He's more like the big brother I never knew I wanted. We're just buddies, that's all."

   "I see." Was it her imagination, or did Hotohori sound surprisingly relieved? "And what of me?" he asked. "Do you see me as an elder brother, as well?"

   KC pursed her lips, not quite sure how to reply. She supposed the manner in which she treated Hotohori and Tamahome were quite different. She bantered back and forth with Tama the same way she did with Brady and Kimiko. But she'd never dare treat Hotohori so disrespectfully. Even if he wasn't an emperor, he was still the sort of person who commanded respect with his mere presence. It was in the way he spoke, the way he moved. Proud, regal, the sort of man that people naturally held in high esteem. He was a natural-born leader, and he made people subconsciously want to treat him like one.

   "I really like you…" She paused, trying to make sense of her thoughts. "But I guess I don't see you the same way as I do him, either."

   "And why is that?" he asked softly. "Is it because of my position?"

   "That's part of it," she admitted, "but it's more that, well, you just make me want to treat you like somebody important." She scratched her head. "It's hard to explain. I guess … maybe… Tamahome is like a puppy. It's okay to romp around and play with a puppy, right?"

   "I see." Hotohori's response was very dry, and KC's lips quirked at his tone. "So, Tamahome is a puppy. And I am not?" His eyes crinkled to show his amusement.

   "No. You're more like … a wolf," she said, encouraged by his response.

   His brow furrowed. "A wolf. Do you fear wolves?"

   "No! Wolves are amazing animals," she replied. "They're regal and beautiful and elegant. A lot like you. But you can't really _play_ with a wolf. You've gotta show a proper amount of respect. It's better to admire them from a distance."

   Hotohori made a noncommittal sound in his throat as he studied her. He didn't look particularly flattered, and she frowned. "I guess maybe that wasn't the best comparison," she sighed, hunching her shoulders.

   "No, I understand." His voice was very soft. "You mean that you hold me on a level above yourself, and see me as one not meant to be treated as an equal, a comrade. To you, I am an emperor. Not a man."

   KC felt horrible. Her analogy had backfired terribly, it seemed. "I'm sorry. Please don't misunderstand. It isn't that I don't see you as a man. Honestly, sometimes I see you as too _much_ of one aaaand that _really_ wasn't something you needed to know." She awkwardly cleared her throat, tried to ignore the dark flush burning in her cheeks as she lowered her gaze. Thereby missing the sudden, sharpened interest in his. "Since we met, you've been nothing but kind to me, and you're not stuck-up or cruel like someone else in your position might be," she fumbled on. "I can tell you care about the people who depend on you. You don't abuse your power, and you're humble in spite of it." Not counting his little vanity complex, of course... "You're an amazing person and I think it's an … an _honor_ to have a friend like you."

   In the following silence, she chanced a glance at him, wondering if she'd said a little too much. Hotohori's eyes were fixed firmly on her, his gaze so intense that she felt herself blushing all over again. This conversation had gotten _way_ off track, and she sought to right it again before things got any weirder. "So, um, you didn't actually tell me if you had anyone you cared for or not," she stammered. "I promised to give Nuriko details when I go back. Girl talk. You know." She shrugged and felt like an idiot. She'd never intended to say so much of how she felt, especially since she didn't fully understand it all herself. But Nuriko was still waiting for her and if she didn't return soon, the woman would probably go on a rampage.

   "Yes," Hotohori finally replied. His voice was very soft, a deep, velvet purr. "There is, in fact, somebody I care for a great deal. Someone that I've loved for a very long time."

   "Oh. R-really?" KC chose to ignore the strange, faint disappointment she felt in favor of the much stronger panic his words induced. She hadn't considered what she'd say if Hotohori was, in fact, already involved with someone. _Poor Nuriko,_ she thought. _She'll be crushed when I tell her._ And one could only hope she wouldn't express such disappointment by using KC's body as a punching bag. "So, is it someone in your harem?" she asked. Best to give the purple-haired Seishi another target to focus her ire on. Just in case.

   Hotohori laughed softly. "Ever since I was a boy and I discovered my destiny to serve as a Suzaku Seishi, I have held the dream of one ideal woman in my mind." His hand reached to touch his throat where his symbol lay hidden, then moved to cover his heart. "She would be someone who would look at me and see not an emperor, but a man who possesses a heart that longs to love, and to be loved for _who_ I am and not merely what I would become."

   His gaze rose to lock with KC's, and her heart started to pound hard and rapidly in her chest at the many emotions she found glowing within the golden depths. "It has always been my dream that the Priestess of Suzaku would end my loneliness." His voice was no more than a whisper, but she could hear every word, even over the pounding in her ears. She vaguely felt him take her hand in a gentle grip and tug her forward until he could grasp both of her arms and lower her onto the mattress.

   She blinked, coming out of her stupor to find herself on her back on the bed. The emperor hovered over her, hands warm and gentle on her face. His eyes were deep, enigmatic pools of emotion, and she felt herself falling into them, softly drowning in their unceasing warmth. "H-Hotohori?" she breathed, wondering if she hadn't passed out somewhere again.

   "KC, surely you must realize that _you_ are the one I have dreamed of for so long," he murmured. His hair slid over his shoulder as he tilted his head. Silken locks ghosted softly across her face in a wash of sweet fragrance. "You are everything I prayed you might be. Your warmth and humor, your kindness. Your compassion for the plight of my empire. _You_ are my ideal woman. The one I hold closest to my soul."

   Her eyes widened at this confession and she struggled to think of some reply, some protest. She opened her mouth but his thumb caressed sweetly over her lips and drove all coherent thought right out of her head. All she could do was lay there as his face drew closer. His eyes slipped closed and in another moment, the very real, very solid pressure of his soft mouth came to rest tenderly against her own.

 


	11. Turning Tables (the Emperor Way)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this chapter is rated very strong PG13/borderline R for some limey content. As it's the only chapter in the book that contains it, I felt and overall rating of PG13 was more appropriate.
> 
> Please enjoy!

   "They're taking too long." Nuriko paced the hallway and absently chewed a thumbnail. "How long does it take to confess somebody else's love, anyway?" She peered around the corner and glared daggers at the emperor's door as if trying to pierce right through it and impale the irritating little git of a girl on the other side.

   "And exactly _who_ is confessing who's love to whom?"

   Nuriko released a squealing yelp and leaped a good two feet down the hall. "D-don't sneak up on me like that!" She whirled to glare furiously at a very bemused Tamahome.

   "And why are _you_ skulking around like a bandit trying to sneak into the treasury?" The Seishi eyed her suspiciously. "Waiting for someone, are we?"

   Nuriko pouted when she realized he wasn't about to just go away as she silently willed him to do. "If you _must_ know, Her Eminence is presently speaking with His Majesty on my behalf," she sniffed haughtily. "If all goes well, I should be the new empress by the next full moon."

   One of Tamahome's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "She didn't go in dressed like _that_ , did she?" He skeptically eyed Nuriko's ensemble, which caused the woman to scowl fiercely and clutch the robe protectively around her throat, even though it was already as tightly closed as it could get.

   "Just what are _you_ staring at?" she growled. "And so what if she did?"

   Tamahome wisely held back an amused chortle. "Do you even realize how His Majesty feels about her? Even _I_ can tell. And rumors have been flying all over the place." His eyes narrowed. "I'll bet my entire salary that _you're_ the one who put her up to this," he accused. "She'd never have the guts to try and set him up with another woman by herself. So, what'd you threaten her with?"

   "I did no such thing!" Nuriko sniffed, but the heat crawling into her face belied the protest.

   Tamahome casually scratched his chin as a sly grin touched his lips. "You know, I never realized it before under all those robes, but you've got even smaller breasts than KC. That must make her happy."

   " _Shut up!_ " Nuriko roared.

   And Tamahome abruptly found himself flying down the hall, courtesy of her fist.

   Brushing her hands in a satisfied manner, Nuriko eyed the closed door again, then started determinedly forward as she pushed up her sleeves. "I'm goin' in," she growled. "She's been in there far too long. She'd better not have chickened out on me!"

   Tamahome, after prying himself from the Tama-shaped crater he'd made in the wall, hastily followed. Not to stop her from spying, of course, as that would have been _highly_ suicidal on his part. He just wanted to see for himself what the heck was going on.

   Keeping a careful eye out for passing guards, the pair put their ears to the door and—after various mutters and shoves and elbowing each other out of the way—finally settled to listen in on what was happening on the other side.

* * *

   KC found herself drifting on waves of heightened sensation, sinking ever deeper into the rising tide of emotion that Hotohori invoked with his kiss. She had never been kissed before, so she had no comparison except for snatches of conversation between friends and classmates, various chick flicks, and the occasional cheesy romance novel stuffed well beneath her bed. But, as far as she could tell, Hotohori blew them _all_ out of the water.

   It was dangerous, this kiss. _Kisses,_ her mind corrected hazily. It had far surpassed the point of a single kiss; his mouth fluttered across hers with the breathy softness of butterfly wings, pressed over and over, slow and sensual as stronger and darker longings slipped into her subconscious. She found herself wanting _more_ , and it seemed Hotohori understood her silent wishes, for the soft pressure of his lips grew heavier, deeper, making her senses swim. She felt intoxicated by his taste, his scent, his indescribable warmth as he skillfully coaxed her uncertain response.

   She was no fool. She knew enough about this sort of thing to realize—even if said realization was currently banished way, _waaay_ in the back of her mind—that she was treading dangerous waters. The problem was, the pleasure far outweighed the knowledge that it needed to end _soon_. It was just so hard to _think_ , especially when Hotohori made that particular little noise in the back of his throat, like half a purr and half a moan…

   She heard him murmur softly through the kiss, suckling at her lower lip in a way that made her toes curl. She slowly realized it had been her name he'd whispered, and she struggled through the pleasant haze clouding her mind. She managed to land in reality just long enough to figure out that his hand, which had once rested innocently beside her head, had begun to softly caress her throat beneath her loosened robe, made its way steadily southward in a heated trail.

   Sparks of desire flushed her skin wherever he touched, and she felt herself melt further as his weight pressed heavily into her, a muscled leg slipped between hers to pin her down. But then his seeking fingers lightly grazed her breast, his palm softly caressed over its peak and sent a shock of pleasure from her chest all the way down her arm into her fingertips, and common sense abruptly reasserted itself. Along with no small amount of panic. She released a choked-off cry and finally found the strength to shove the emperor off of her as she sucked in much-needed oxygen through burning lips. "H-hold your horses there, pal!" she panted heavily. "Wh—You—Just what the _hell_ do you think you're _doing_?"

   Hotohori sat up very slowly, his eyes dark and liquid with arousal as he regarded her. His lips looked as swollen as hers felt, soft and red and oh-so-kissable. She was sorely tempted to pull him back to her again, could barely resist the urge to give in and let him have his breathtaking way with her.

   "Forgive me," he murmured, his voice a husky rasp that grated against her senses like rough velvet. She shuddered at the sound of it. He had the grace to look embarrassed, stared at his offending hand as though he didn't recognize it. "I … I never meant to allow myself get so carried away. It's just that I've waited so long to find you, and now that you are finally here…" He trailed off, shivering slightly as he wrapped both arms around himself. His liquid eyes met hers with unnerving intensity, silently telling her in no uncertain terms what he truly desired.

   KC swallowed audibly, self-consciously straightened her robe as she slowly sat up, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. "I—That is—I wasn't expecting you—Um…" She gave up trying to talk and nervously plucked at the silken sheets. She spent a few moments weighing her options. One: make a mad dash for the door and hope she didn't permanently offend him. Two: stay and allow herself to be thoroughly seduced.

   Decisions, decisions…

   "Has my confession frightened you?" Hotohori's softly-voiced question jerked her out of her musings. He cupped her chin with a gentle hand and raised it so she would meet his eyes.

   "No! Um. W-well, maybe a little. I-it's just that—I mean, you took me totally by surprise! We barely know each other and I never thought you'd ever—Well, it's not like I'm anyone _special_ or anything and—" She cut herself off before she _really_ began to babble.

   Hotohori smiled brilliantly. "There is plenty of time for us to come to know each other." He took her hand, earnest. "KC, I know you said that you wished to return to your world when Suzaku has been summoned, but it is my wish that you remain here, instead, and become my empress."

   KC's jaw dropped and she gaped at him in complete shock. "I … I—Wait, _marriage_? Become an _empress_? I can't do that! I'm too young!"

   "You are sixteen, are you not?"

   "Yes, but—"

   "Then you are certainly of a legal age to wed. In this country, there are women who marry as young as thirteen. It is not at all uncommon."

   "It is where _I'm_ from!" she blurted, panicked. "I just—I can't marry you! Or _anyone!_ I've gotta go home and—"

   "It's all right," he interrupted, gently running his fingers through her hair. "I do not expect you to decide immediately. I understand this is … something of a shock for you."

   Talk about the understatement of the millennium! KC didn't think her senses would _ever_ stop spinning.

   "Please, consider my proposal carefully," he continued, eyes serious. "It will certainly be a large adjustment in your life, but I will be with you to help you through it. KC, I have always loved you, more than anyone. I hope that, in time, you will come to love me, as well."

   "But—" KC found herself caught in his hopeful, pleading gaze and realized that she just couldn't outright refuse him, even if common sense dictated otherwise.

   There was no way she was ready to get married. She was still trying to make it out of high school in one piece, and she had barely begun to consider what she wanted to do afterward. An empress had certainly never figured into the equation. Besides, she hated politics—The Presidential speeches she'd been forced to endure in Social Studies had put her to sleep enough times for her to acknowledge this—and what did _she_ know about running a country? Especially one in an entirely different _universe_?

   So why was it so difficult to just say no?

   She was saved, however, when Hotohori abruptly stiffened and glanced at the door with a narrowed gaze. Without a word, he rose and padded on silent feet toward it. Surprised and more than a little confused, KC leaned over as far as she could to watch as he pulled the heavy door open with a sharp jerk.

   Nuriko and Tamahome tumbled into the room, sprawled ungracefully at the emperor's bare feet as startled exclamations colored the air.

   KC yelped and promptly fell off the bed. Scrambled to her feet and hastily readjusted her skewed robe, trying to look as though she _hadn't_ just been in the middle of a hot-and-heavy make-out session.

   Hotohori merely stood there and glowered, clearly not caring that he _also_ looked as if he'd been in the middle of a hot-and-heavy makeout session that his rather mussed appearance failed to hide.

   As for the two eavesdroppers, as soon as they figured out just who stood over them, they promptly closed their eyes and began snoring loudly.

   "You may as well get up," Hotohori said flatly. "You're not fooling anyone." He turned on his heel, readjusting his garments as he went.

   Tamahome coughed into his hand and sat up. "Uh, I just came along to pick up KC," he said nonchalantly. "Nuriko's been waiting for a while and … er … she was getting a bit worried about her, that's all."

   Nuriko looked as though she'd like to rip Tamahome's tongue out of his head. She also looked as if she'd like to rip _off_ KC's head. The Priestess felt her stomach drop to her feet as she realized the Seishi had probably heard, well, pretty much everything.

_I'm not gonna live to see the next sunrise, am I?_

   So much for her plan to win the woman over.

   "While I have given you permission to visit my chambers as you wished, perhaps, in the future, you both might use a bit more discretion," Hotohori advised grimly.

   "Er, duly noted, Your Majesty." Tamahome not-so-subtly attempted to propel Nuriko down the hall. "G'night, KC! See you in the morning!" He flashed an obnoxious wink before he managed to drag the balking woman around the corner.

   "Uh, wait a sec! I'll go with you!" KC sputtered, scrambling after them.

   "KC." Hotohori's soft voice brought her up short. "Please remember what I told you. Perhaps you are unprepared to seriously consider my proposal, but I promise that I'll do anything to win your love." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "I would never _order_ you to stay against your will," he assured her, "but that does not mean I won't spend my time courting you properly. I shall do my very best to woo you, and make you fall as much in love with me as I am with you."

   She opened her mouth several times, for once at a complete loss for words. His serious gaze softened as he took in her uncertain expression and pale features. "You seem tired. You may sleep in my chambers tonight." He stroked a hand softly over her hair.

   "Uh, no, that's okay. I-I'll just go back to my room." She backed hastily away from him. Her entire body was _still_ sparking with the heat of those few passionate minutes; she wasn't sure she trusted herself to resist should he decide to pick things up where they'd left off. She _knew_ she didn't trust him not to try. No matter how good or noble he was, he was still a man, after all. As Brady always said, one could always count on a man to possess a one-track mind, and most times that track ran straight through the gutter.

   She stepped into the hallway with the full intention of leaving. However, the first thing she saw was an angry, red-violet eye peering around the corner. Said eye narrowed dangerously when it set its sight on KC, and she squeaked and hurriedly jumped back into the room, slammed the door and leaned on it heavily.

   Upon noticing Hotohori's startled frown, she grinned weakly and scratched her head. "Uh. M-maybe I'll take you up on that offer, after all. I am sorta tired. Dunno if I have the strength to make it all the way down … the … hallway. I could, you know, sprawl out on the floor. A few blankets, maybe a pillow or two. It'd be just like a sleepover!" She cleared her throat and attempted to look less nervous than she felt.

   "I would never dream of making my beloved sleep on the floor," Hotohori scolded with a playful smile.

   "Well, I'm not gonna share your _bed_ , if _that's_ what you're thinking!" she blurted and quickly slapped her hand over her mouth.

   Hotohori's cheeks darkened. "I—No, that isn't what I meant," he stuttered. "Please, don't think I'd take—Just come with me." He led her across the expansive room toward another doorway, opened into a smaller chamber decorated in shades of cream and gold. Though less lavishly furnished, it was still beautiful and elegant in its simplicity. A smaller version of his elaborate bed graced the middle of the floor. "You may sleep in here."

   Why on earth anyone would need two bedrooms all to themselves was a mystery, but she peered curiously into the apartment. "It's beautiful. A bit too feminine for you, though." She glanced up at him. "Is this room meant for your, uh, future empress?"

   He chuckled softly. "No. It is merely a spare room. The empress shall have apartments prepared for her in the Seraglio, with the other wives."

   "Other wives." KC frowned as she recalled what Nuriko had told her during their first meeting. She hadn't thought much about it at the time, but suddenly, it seemed a whole lot more personal. "The emperor takes more than one wife?" she asked uncertainly.

   "Traditionally, yes."

   "But the empress is…"

   "She is First Wife, held in esteem and preferred above all the others."

   "So I would be … First Wife?"

   "Yes."

   Her frown deepened. "No."

   "I … beg your pardon?"

   "I don't want to be a First Wife. I want to be an _only_ wife. Someday! Not right now," she hastily clarified. "Besides, in _my_ country, being married to more than one woman at a time isn't even legal. Not to mention it's generally frowned upon by polite society. Guys who do that sort of thing are nothing but scum."

   He appeared startled at her vehemence.

   She looked down, blushing. She really ought to watch how she spoke to him; he was still the emperor, after all. "Why would you even _need_ more than one wife, anyway?"

   "In the possibility that the First Wife is barren, there must always be another who can bear the emperor an heir. More than one, if possible, as … accidents tend to happen to those closest in line to the throne, and often to their mothers."

   A slightly bitter twist to his mouth made her wonder if he spoke through personal experience. Come to think of it, where were _his_ parents? Or siblings? Or even cousins? She considered asking but thought the better of it. It wasn't any of her business. Besides, she was really having issues with this whole wife thing. "So, what if it's the emperor's fault the First Wife can't have kids?" she challenged.

   He hesitated. "I … am not certain I understand your meaning."

   "I mean, what if his boys aren't swimming upstream?" At his obvious confusion, she rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "What if he's _sterile_? You know, his sperm is dead? You do know what I mean by sperm, right?"

   He flushed, offended. "KC! Th-this is hardly an appropriate—"

   "Oh, come on," she sighed. " _You_ brought all this up! And I'm not six. I've had all the sex ed classes. Don't look at me like that! I'm not saying _you're_ the one who's sterile, but hypothetically, it's just downright sexist to push all the blame on the woman when the trouble could just as easily stem from the man! So what happens in that case? Does the empress get to pick a harem of gorgeous men and have a lie-in with them until one of them impregnates her?"

   As Hotohori sputtered for a reply, a bit of KC's World History lessons suddenly flashed through her mind in regards to this very issue, and she blanched. "And don't you even _tell_ me that the lady is exiled or imprisoned or _killed_ over it as if it's all her fault! It's happened in _my_ world's history! If that's the case here, then you can _definitely_ forget it."

   She thought for a moment that Hotohori might actually pass out from lack of oxygen and prayed she hadn't offended him _too_ badly. "It's something you ought to think about," she mumbled. "Anyway, if you're so intent on marrying me, I guess I should warn you that I _don't_ share. There will be no second or third wives, no consorts on the side, no secret lovers in the garden. If I ever caught _my_ man cheating, he'd be out on his ass in a heartbeat. 'Til death do us part' means me and him. Not me, him, and all of his whores."

   Hotohori looked at her as if she'd just kicked his puppy and she sighed. A small, grim smile slid over her lips. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being terribly rude to you. You're still my friend and I don't _want_ to be mean, but you need to consider my feelings, too." She gave an offhand shrug. "Although maybe you've changed your mind now. Nuriko probably _is_ a better choice for you. She understands how things work around here, and she seems perfectly willing to play by the rules. She'd probably make a great First Wife, come to think of it. She's awfully good at being bossy. She'd keep everyone else in line, I'm sure."

   KC fell silent and waited. She fully expected him to launch into a lecture about speaking so rudely on such a personal topic. She wouldn't have been surprised if he kicked her out on _her_ ass for it. She supposed she couldn't blame him if he _was_ angry; she just hoped she hadn't pissed him off enough to throw her back in that dungeon for awhile.

   It was all the more surprising when, instead, she felt her face gently cupped in large, warm hands, her chin tilted to meet the soft pressure of his mouth. She barely stood her ground, legs trembling as his lips caressed hers for long, heady moments until he withdrew to level a searching gaze on her bewildered face. There was no anger in his eyes, only sincere affection touched with admiration.

   "Thank you for your honesty." His breath ghosted across her lips, made her breath catch. "Your feelings are certainly something I shall keep in mind." His smile was faint. "But perhaps I might ease _your_ mind. Although I understand the practicality and even the necessity of it, I have never once considered taking more than one wife."

   Her eyes narrowed. "Then why do you even need a harem?" she pointed out.

   The smile reappeared. "On my advisors' insistence. It keeps them content and out of my hair. On _this_ matter, at least."

   "Oh." She supposed that made sense. She'd seen how pushy those crabby old men could be. She honestly wondered why he even kept some of them around.

   Hotohori's thumb caressed her cheek, drew her gaze helplessly to his. "Since I first learned of your existence, you have been the only wife I've ever wished to obtain," he murmured. "I do not desire to bed anyone other than the woman I love most, and that woman has always been you alone."

   She stared up at him, flushed and flustered all over again, nearly swaying on her feet. "Oh," she squeaked. And it seemed the only thing she _could_ say as he led her into the chamber, tucked her carefully into the bed, pressed a final lingering kiss to her mouth, and left her to her own befuddled musings.

 


	12. Making Amends & Other Health Hazards

   KC woke up disoriented and groggy. She slowly sat up and scratched her head, blearily looked around and frowned when she failed to immediately recognize her surroundings.

   "Good morning, Majesty. I trust you slept well."

   "Yes, thank you. Quite well. Much better than I have in a long while, actually."

   The quiet voices shook KC out of her lethargy and recollection of the previous night flooded her mind. Her face began to take on the rather charming hue of an overripe tomato. She reached up to touch her lips, reliving the memory of Hotohori's impassioned kisses. "That wasn't a dream?" she mumbled into her hand, blinking down at the pristine white coverlet. More importantly … she'd actually spent the _night_? In his _rooms_? And had made it through completely unmolested? Hotohori possessed a lot more self-control than she'd given him credit for. Hell, the man was a friggin _saint_.

   Either that or he'd actually come to his senses sometime between the few minutes he'd put her to bed and taken to his own, realized KC _wasn't_ the living dream he seemed to believe. That seemed a far more likely scenario.

   All the same … she'd spent the night. In the emperor's private quarters. Thereby starting all sorts of juicy rumors that had probably reached the other end of the country by now. "Argh! Tama's gonna harass me all _day_ about this!" she groaned and flopped back into the pillows. Probably every day thereafter, too.

   Even more frightening, Nuriko in all of her freakishly-strong wrath would likely be out for blood. KC felt it would be prudent to avoid the Seishi at all costs. Even if it meant being locked up in the dungeon again. For her own protection, of course.

   "Okay. What I need is an excuse. A really _good_ excuse." She absently gnawed a thumbnail as she thought. "Let's see now. 'Well, Nuriko, at least you found out he doesn't love you _before_ you made a complete ass out of yourself trying to seduce him'."

   Right. Would she like her head to be fried or boiled once Nuriko finished ripping it off her neck?

   "Okay, I can do better. Ummm… 'He was possessed by an evil spirit last night and didn't fully comprehend what he was saying. He really does love you! _Waaay_ deep down inside'…" She grimaced. "Okay, even _I_ wouldn't believe that one."

   She thought some more, then smacked her fist into her palm. "Got it! 'He went temporarily blind due to fatigue and mistook me for you'. That could work!"

   Assuming, of course, Nuriko was completely gullible. And hadn't heard a word of the part about Hotohori always loving the Priestess of Suzaku. KC doubted she was _that_ lucky.

   "Gaah! I give up!" She groaned again and threw herself back onto the pillows. "I might as well kill _myself_ and get it over with. At least I won't make it hurt!"

   Footsteps alerted KC to an approaching someone, and a second later Hotohori appeared in the doorway. He smiled softly when he saw she was awake, and she suddenly found herself overcome with nerves. "I thought I heard your voice," he told her by way of greeting. "Good morning, Your Eminence."

   She mumbled shyly, unable to meet his eyes. Good grief, what did a girl _say_ to the man she'd been heavily making out with the night before? None of the classroom gossip had ever gotten around to discussing the morning after.

   If he noticed her discomfort, he simply ignored it as he approached her, still smiling cheerfully. "What were you talking about, all by yourself?" he questioned. "Were you dreaming?"

   "Oh, just planning out my last will and testament. Nothing important."

   He blinked. "I'm sorry?"

   "Uh, nothing. Anyway, um, thanks for lending me the room. I should probably go back to my own, though, before Mei Lin starts thinking I've been kidnapped or something." She chuckled awkwardly as she slid off the huge bed, found herself face-to-chest with the emperor. She looked up nervously, not sure what he wanted, but she wouldn't have been surprised if he grabbed her and started kissing again, what with that _look_ in his eyes and everything…

 _Wait. No. Kissing is a_ bad _thing. Kissing leads to other_ very _bad things! None of that, now, young lady!_

   Darn her conscience, anyway. Especially when it sounded just like her mother. If _that_ wasn't enough to knock any amorous ideas clean out of her skull, nothing would.

   Hotohori leaned closer, tilted her face up whilst lowering his own, and she abruptly panicked and backpedaled. She nearly tripped over the rug in her haste. "Um, yeah. Going … now," she stammered as she eased past him and practically bolted for the door. She didn't miss his slightly wounded expression as she raced back to the safety of her own room and guiltily vowed to apologize for her abrupt departure later.

* * *

   KC found it surprisingly easy to avoid Nuriko for the rest of the day. As it happened, Nuriko was doing _her_ darnedest to avoid KC, as well. While this relieved her greatly, it also worried her. If Nuriko was _that_ mad that she wasn't even willing to _look_ at her, much less try and kill her, then how in the world was she going to convince the woman to do her job and be a Seishi?

   The frantic palace activity had settled into a lazy crawl with the departure of the visiting warriors. As it turned out (and not very surprisingly), Hotohori had thoroughly chastised them and sent them on their way. "Thanks, but you're not who we're looking for, considering you tried to off the Priestess and destroyed half the courtyard while doing so" was pretty much the gist of it. Surprisingly enough, they'd all gone on their merry way without so much as a grumble. Probably because they were just glad to get _away_ from that lunatic girl with their heads still attached to their necks.

   While KC was relieved that none of those men were her Seishi (or were holding any grudges, for that matter), it didn't really help her current situation. A few more late arrivals had trickled in after the rest had already gone, but none of them appeared to have a mark, either. One or two _insisted_ that they were a Seishi, but a few simple questions and a quick round of combat with both Tamahome _and_ Hotohori quickly put an end to that ruse. None of them stood a chance against the two highly-skilled warriors, and they gave up trying after only a few minutes.

   In the meantime, KC still had four more people to find. People who could potentially be scattered halfway across the world, and just sitting around on her duff avoiding the Seishi she _did_ have wasn't going to get her anywhere.

   "So where've _you_ been hiding all day?"

   KC squealed loudly and jumped three feet into the air. "T-T-Tama!" she gasped, clutching at her heart. "Would you not _do_ that?" She punched him soundly on the arm and glared. "What are you, part cat _?_ "

   "S-s-sorry about th-that."

   His apology might have sounded more sincere if he didn't have to force it out between guffaws.

   KC tapped her foot, crossed her arms and pursed her lips until the Seishi managed to calm down. "So," he continued, "you didn't answer my question. Oh, wait!" A sly grin crossed his face. "I know where you were. Probably holed up in His Majesty's bedr—" He suddenly found her clenched fist two inches from his nose.

   "Finish that sentence and you'll be eating my knuckles. _For_ your information, I wasn't 'holed up' anywhere. Where've _you_ been, anyway?"

   "Who me? Oh, I was asked to … _escort_ the rest of those guys out of town. Just to make sure they found their way and all." His smile bordered on evil and KC decided she'd rather not know. "I figured since I was already there I might as well do a few odd jobs while I was at it." He casually pulled what looked like a string of coins with holes drilled into the middle of them from his tunic. "Been earning me some spare cash." He cackled and held the weird-looking money to his cheek lovingly before looping the string around his neck like a gaudy necklace.

   KC pouted. "You went into town and didn't take _me_?"

   "Well, I'd have invited you along, but I figure what with you being _engaged_ and all, you'd rather spend your time snuggling with your boyfriend," he sniggered.

   "I'm not engaged, you dork," she huffed, turning red. "I didn't exactly say yes."

   Tamahome's jaw dropped, and he immediately placed a warm hand against her flushed forehead. "You turned down the _Emperor of Konan's_ proposal? Are you _sick_ or something?"

   " _Shut up,_ " KC hissed when his exclamation managed to attract the attention of several nearby servants. She gripped his sleeve and pulled him further away. "I kind of told him no, but he seemed to take it as more of an 'I'll think about it' and I didn't really correct this assumption…"

   "So there's still hope. Just tell him you thought about it and have decided you'd be completely insane to reject him," Tamahome pressed.

   "But I don't even _know_ the guy that well. I'd be completely insane to just _accept_ him. Besides, I've gotta go home at _some_ point, you know."

   "Girls from your world really _are_ crazy," Tamahome scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

   "I'm not crazy. I'm _practical_."

   "Whatever. I'm gonna count my money now, so if you'll excuse me…" And with that, he pulled the string from his neck and started tallying his coins. Right there in the middle of the walkway.

   KC wrinkled her nose as she watched him. "You have a really creepy look on your face."

   "Twenty-two… Uh-huh," he murmured distractedly.

   She rolled her eyes. "And your head's on fire."

   "Thirty-nine… That's nice. Be quiet. Forty-one…"

   "Fifty-three. Ninety-two."

   "F-forty-five… Forty-six…"

   "Sixty-seven. Twenty-two. Nine hundred and eighteen. Twelve."

   "Ninety—Er, no. Wait… Twenty-seven… I mean, nine hun— _Gah_! _Stop_ that!" Tamahome glared at her as she snickered.

   "Serves you right for ignoring me. By the way, you haven't seen Nuriko around, have you?"

   "Why, are you looking for her?" he responded absently as he recounted his precious coins.

   "Oh, sure. It's a secret fetish of mine. To have my living flesh flayed from my bones by jealous former concubines with permanent PMS, I mean."

   "Oh. Well, in that case, did you check her room?" Tamahome finally reached the end of his coin string, frowned darkly and untied the knot to dump its contents onto the middle of the walk. Where he then proceeded to count them all over again, muttering something about being stiffed three coins.

   KC sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "And clearly, the only way I'm gonna get any decent conversation out of _him_ is if I glue a bag of money to my face," she grumbled as she stalked away.

* * *

   As it turned out, Nuriko was not in her room. Rather, she stood just outside it. She leaned against the railing of the outer hallway, gazing wistfully up at the sky, which was just showing the pale colors of sunset. _It's_ _amazing how pretty and serene she looks when she isn't attempting to gouge out my eyeballs,_ KC thought as she cautiously approached.

   If Nuriko was aware of her Priestess's presence, she gave no sign of it. Nevertheless, KC didn't relax her guard any more than she would around a coiled-up rattlesnake. After a long moment, during which she continued to be ignored, she drew in a deep breath and forged ahead. "So, um, I guess our plan kind of backfired a little, huh?"

   A finger twitched on Nuriko's right hand.

   "Look. I swear on my father's _grave—_ Well, I would if he was dead, anyway—that I had _no_ _idea_ Hotohori felt even _remotely_ anything like that for me. I mean, I still think it was like all some big joke and that the next time he sees me he's gonna laugh in my face about it. I can't imagine someone like him would feel … _that way_ … about somebody like me. It just doesn't compute."

   Nuriko glanced over at her through icy eyes, her face perfectly expressionless. KC fought the overwhelming urge to shiver.

   "Eh … um … he was fatigued and suddenly got possessed by an evil spirit and went temporarily blind and mistook me for you?"

   The Seishi gave a rather unladylike snort as her lips twitched upward, just a little. "Oh, never mind." She sighed dramatically and delicately massaged her temple. "How can I _possibly_ stay angry at somebody as pathetic as you?"

   "Um." KC couldn't decide whether she felt more relieved or insulted.

   "All the same." Nuriko fixed her with a pointed look. "You cost me my best maidservant, my place in the seraglio, _and_ my future husband all within a single week. Don't I have just cause to be a bit … miffed?"

   "That's not my fault!" KC protested.

   "Of course it is. You showed up, didn't you?" Nuriko sniffed and turned her nose into the air. "Mei Lin was my only servant, you know, and very well-trained. I haven't found a suitable replacement for her yet."

   "She's not a poodle," KC muttered. It would probably be unwise at this juncture to point out that the reason _why_ Mei Lin was so obedient was because "Lady Kourin" scared the shit out of her. "Besides," she continued grumpily, "it wasn't like I _asked_ Hotohori to take away your maid, and I sure as hell never asked him to _propose_ to me!"

   "Well, all you need to do about _that_ is turn him down, of course." Nuriko calmly picked a stray thread off the embroidery of her sleeve.

   "Well…"

   She shot the Priestess a sharp glance. "You _did_ turn him down, didn't you?"

   KC squirmed guiltily. "I _tried_ to, but…"

   "But _what_?" Nuriko growled.

   "Well, I sort of got the feeling he wasn't going to give up so easily. I mean, he _is_ the emperor, right? I'm probably, like, the first person who ever told him no. It's probably just an ego thing, that's all. Doesn't wanna lose face being rejected by me," KC hurriedly explained.

   Nuriko pursed her lips. "Then I suppose you'll just have to resist his advances until he _does_ give up," she said. "It shouldn't be so hard. A man can only take so much rejection before his pride gets the better of him, after all."

   KC scowled. "Sure. I'll do that. Piece of cake," she muttered sarcastically. Nuriko made it sound so _easy_ , but fending off Hotohori when he was in full-out, come-hither seduction mode was about as simple as catching rain in a butterfly net. She was only human, after all. Her poor, teenage hormones could only handle so much testosterone before her higher brain functions began to shut down.

   As her last encounter with the enigmatic emperor had so nicely proven.

   "As for Mei Lin, if you simply send her back to me, I suppose I'll be willing to forgive you for that little misunderstanding, as well."

   KC winced. She couldn't possibly do that to Mei Lin. It'd be on par with sending a lamb into a wolf den, and she'd never live it down if she ended up permanently traumatizing the poor kid. "Can't you just … train another girl or something? Mei Lin just got settled in and—"

   "I've already told you, nobody else is working out. Lazy girls, the whole lot of them."

   KC gritted her teeth. "Well, what if … I stepped in and took over for awhile," she offered tightly. "Just 'til, you know, you can find a proper replacement."

   "Hmmm …" Nuriko pressed a finger to her pursed lips and eyeballed her in the manner of a lion sizing up an unwary gazelle. "The Priestess of Suzaku, whom I am meant to serve … serving _me_ , instead?" A slow smile spread across her lips, one that set KC's teeth on edge. "I do believe that irony is simply too _delicious_ to pass up!" She reached out to snatch KC by the wrist. "Very well, your offer is accepted. Let's get started right away. A trial run, shall we say?"

   KC yelped as she found herself being hauled into the Seishi's chambers and confronted with the sight of clothes and linens draped everywhere. Dishes on the small table waited to be cleared, and the whole room contained the sort of general untidiness she might expect to find in … well, her own bedroom, to be exact. "Wow. This place is a pigsty," she commented, impressed. Then yelped when Nuriko's bruising grip tightened painfully.

   "Very observant. Clean it up," she growled as she shoved a broom into KC's free hand. "I'll be having my evening bath, now. When I come back, I expect this place to be presentable. You have two hours."

   And with a careless wave of her hand, Nuriko swept from the room and left the befuddled Priestess wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.

 


	13. How to Swallow One's Pride & Not Choke on It

   "You look sick." Tamahome took critical note of the dark circles lining KC's eyes and the pallor of her skin.

   "Flattery will get you nowhere," she muttered in response and stabbed at a dumpling with her chopstick. "Just tired, is all." It didn't surprise her that she looked like the walking dead. She rather felt like the walking dead. She supposed it was only normal, considering Nuriko had kept her up well into the night. She'd _insisted_ on KC's help with various simple tasks. Such as combing out that wealth of purple hair ("Two hundred strokes on each side! Don't pull so hard, idiot!"). Then came a foot massage ("Are you _trying_ to break my toes? Be more gentle with a lady's delicate feet!"). And finally, she had been forced to refold the exact same garments she'd just put away after the Seishi had returned and gleefully pulled out and discarded one robe after another. She _claimed_ she was choosing the next day's outfit, a task that required careful consideration in order to look one's best.

   KC suspected it was a choice that usually took fifteen minutes, tops, as opposed to the hour she'd had to endure Nuriko's impromptu fashion show and assure her over and over that the last ten outfits were just _fine_ , and could she please go to bed now?

   Tamahome raised a skeptical eyebrow at his Priestess's sullen expression. Quite frankly, she didn't look to be in any sort of a mood to risk teasing at the moment, and he didn't relish the possibility of getting his head bitten off this early in the morning. Instead, he said, "I'm surprised you aren't eating breakfast with His Majesty. Isn't it like a custom or something?"

   KC frowned at the recollection that she was, in fact, avoiding Hotohori. "Don't wanna talk about it," she muttered and stabbed at her dumpling again.

   "You know, you can't keep avoiding him forever," Tamahome pointed out wisely. "One of these days you'll have to give the guy an ans—"

_STAB_

   "Let's discuss something _else_ , shall we?"

   "Er, right. Sooo … how're things with Nuriko progressing?"

   STABSTABSTABSTABSTAB _SNAP_

   Half a chopstick went careening across the room. KC blinked in surprise at the other half, still clutched tightly in her hand.

   Tamahome regarded the mutilated dumpling with a raised eyebrow and nervously cleared his throat. "That good, huh?"

   "I swear if she wasn't my Seishi, I'd strangle her with her own hair!"

   "Uh-huh. Except you'd never get past that whole inhuman strength thing she's got going for her," he deadpanned.

   KC smirked. "If she wasn't my Seishi, she wouldn't _have_ inhuman strength." She chewed thoughtfully on a mouthful of rice. "Maybe I should ask Hotohori to toss her into the dungeon for a while. That ought to knock her off her high horse."

   "His Majesty doesn't strike me as the type to go around randomly tossing people into his dungeon."

   "I haven't told you how he and I met, have I?"

   Tamahome raised the other eyebrow. "I sense an interesting story in those words."

   KC smirked despite her sour mood. "Later," she promised. "Right now, I guess I'd better get my tail over to Nuriko's and see what she wants me to do today. Probably scrub down all the furniture or paint her toenails or something."

   He blinked. "Did I miss something? Since when are you her servant?"

   She grimaced. "Since me and my fat mouth agreed to take over until she could find a replacement. She _wanted_ Mei Lin back, but I just couldn't throw that poor girl back into the lion's den."

   "So you offered to take her place." Tamahome whistled. "You do know she's going to torture you, right?"

   "Gee, hadn't thought of _that_ , Captain Obvious. But they do say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

   "So she's your enemy now?"

   "Only 'cause she _wants_ to be. If I can't convince her to be my friend, at least I can keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't plotting to kill me in my sleep or anything," KC sniffed.

   "I'm sure she'd never stoop to something _that_ dishonorable. She's a Suzaku warrior destined to help you save our country, after all. Even if she doesn't want to admit it."

   "You think?"

  He smirked. "Of course. At the very least, she'll wait until you're awake before trying to off you, so you'd at least have a sporting chance to run away."

   KC found herself grinning as she flicked a clump of rice at him. "Very funny. I'm not going to give up, though. I'll keep pushing the matter until she agrees, even if it's only to shut me up. Wanna help me? Come on, it'll be fun," she wheedled. "With my brains and your … whatever, we could give her hell! Waddaya say?"

   Tamahome nearly choked on his tea. "No way!" he wheezed. "This is between you and her! I'm _not_ getting involved."

   She pouted. "Chicken."

   "I prefer to think of it as possessing a healthy dose of self-preservation."

   "Some mighty protector _you're_ turning out to be."

   "My wages do not include involving myself in womanly spats," he sniffed. "Being attacked by bandits or assassins, that I'll handle. Sticking my nose into the middle of a catfight is beyond my sense of reason. No thanks."

   KC sighed and pouted. "Well, who needs you, anyway? I'm sure I can come up with something diabolical all by myself."

   "I wonder if it's worth the trouble to put the guards on alert for potential disaster," Tamahome muttered, rolling his eyes.

   KC smirked at him and raised her chopsticks in a toast. "Oh, ye of little faith."

* * *

   "You're late," Nuriko accused when she opened her door, already decked out in a completely different outfit than the one she'd finally settled on the night before. Over her shoulder, KC caught a glimpse of utter carnage in the room beyond and ground her teeth.

   "Technically, as we never settled on an actual _time_ for me to show up, I'm _not_ late," she pointed out with saccharine sweetness.

   Nuriko blinked at her, opened her mouth to argue, found none, and shut it again with a sniff. "Well, clean up that room, and then you need to scrub down this walkway. It's utterly filthy."

   KC's eyes widened as she took in the long expanse of wooden floor stretching from one end of the building to the other. "The whole thing?" she nearly whimpered. There were at least seventy-five feet of it. It would take her hours to complete.

   "Of course the whole thing. What kind of a good servant does only half a job?" Nuriko snorted. "Well, if you'll excuse me, Tamahome is going into town again and I'm going to accompany him. Be finished by the time I get back! Ta!" And off she went.

   KC glanced despairingly at the room and sighed heavily. "I brought it onto myself," she muttered. "Me and my brilliant ideas."

* * *

   She finished Nuriko's room in half an hour, casually tossed half-folded robes into random trunks without regard as to what went where, piled the scattered jewelry and hair ornaments into a big lump of tangled chains and pins and combs in the first jewelry chest she saw (there were at least four of them). Nuriko would probably hit the roof the next time she went for a pair of earrings or something, but KC didn't particularly care at the moment. Tamahome was going into town _again_ and didn't invite her! But he'd let that harpy go with him, of course. She muttered under her breath, trying to stifle her resentment. That traitor, buddying up to that woman instead of sticking with his Priestess like he was _supposed_ to. It rankled badly to know the two of them were out there having fun while she was stuck doing menial labor. She hadn't set foot outside the palace walls since the day she'd been dragged into it! "I wonder if this is how Hotohori feels," she mused to herself, and decided that being an empress definitely wasn't something she'd enjoy very much. All work and no play was just … _boring_.

   She contemplated seeking out the emperor to see if he wanted some company, but decided against it. She wasn't quite ready to face him yet. He might try to seduce her again and she still hadn't fully recovered from the _last_ attempt. Honestly, she had no idea how she'd ever be able to look at him again without _remembering_. Even now, she could feel the hot flush spread over her body at just the thought of his embrace and deep kisses. At _this_ rate, she'd be a walking tomato for the rest of her life.

   Trying to distract herself from her thoughts, she grabbed the cleaning equipment she needed from a nearby supply room and began to vigorously sweep the outer walkway. She did her best to ignore the stares and hushed mutters of passing courtiers and servants; it probably looked a little odd for the Priestess of Suzaku to be on her hands and knees, doing the job of a common scullery maid. She cringed at the thought that Hotohori might get wind of it, and the situation might embarrass him, as well. Still, she flatly refused any help offered and sent each servant off with a polite but firm "No, thank you" and a meaningful stare.

   Mei Lin, when she stumbled upon KC in the midst of scrubbing a particularly difficult stain out of the floor, turned out to be a little harder to deter. She insisted on finishing the job herself. It wasn't fit for the Priestess to do such demeaning labor! KC finally managed to run her off by threatening to give her back to Nuriko for good, if she was so keen to take over her old duties. Mei Lin had blanched slightly, bowed and offered her deepest thanks and the encouragement to do a good job before she scurried away.

   It took three hours to get the floor swept and mopped up to KC's satisfaction, but in the end, she had to admit it was a job well done. Even if her back burned and her knees had gone numb from kneeling on them for so long, the spotless floor gleamed so brightly that she could practically see her reflection in its polished, wooden surface. "Damn, I'm good," she announced proudly, sitting up to survey her handiwork proudly. If only her mother could see her now! She'd probably have a stroke from the shock.

   "Ohhh, what's this? Finished already?"

   KC scowled at the sound of Nuriko's voice and glanced over her shoulder to toss the Seishi a smug smile. "Yeah, and about time, too. Well? Is it clean enough for you?" She tossed her scrub brush into the bucket of dirty water with a plop.

   "Tsk." Nuriko sounded anything but impressed. "Such a sloppy job," she scolded. "Were you even paying attention to your work?"

   Indignant, KC whirled to give her a piece of her mind … and was left to stare, slack-jawed, at the dirt and leaves strewn all over her freshly-scrubbed floor. Nuriko towered over her, a disapproving frown on her pretty face as she clutched an empty bowl to her chest. A strand of dead ivy dangled strategically over its rim.

   KC's eyes narrowed as she connected the dots. Nuriko's eyes held an obvious challenge, and KC clenched her fists so hard that her nails bit into her skin. The woman was clearly gearing for a fight. Slowly, ever-so-carefully, she rose to her feet, her face carefully blank. The Seishi tensed, expecting an explosion. What she got instead was a sudden, brilliant smile, as KC cheerfully said, "You know, you're right. Looks like my mind was wandering. I was thinking about Hotohori and what happened the other night, you see, and … hmmm…" She heaved a dopey sigh and pressed her hands to flushed cheeks. "Got a bit distracted, I guess. I gotta say, that man sure knows how to _kiss._ Don't worry, though, I'll redo it."

   Nuriko stood frozen for a moment or two, wide-eyed with shock. Her mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish before she abruptly whirled away with an indignant harrumph and a toss of her braid. The bowl clattered to the floor as she stomped to her room and slammed the door so hard that something cracked.

   KC's smile disappeared and she muttered angrily as she hastily swept and washed the floor for the second time. She wished heartily for the Swiffer Wet-Jet stored in her kitchen pantry. After this, she would _never_ complain about mopping floors in her own house again! She wearily stood and lifted the heavy bucket with a grunt, staggering from its weight as she headed for the bushes to dump it.

   As she approached Nuriko's door, however, her steps slowed and she chewed on her lower lip, considering. No matter how mad she was, she should be the better person and try again to make peace. Maybe if she apologized for rubbing Nuriko's face in the fact that she'd made out with Hotohori…

   Then again, why should _she_ have to apologize? It wasn't _her_ idea for the emperor to fall in love with her! Sure, she really needed Nuriko's cooperation if she was ever going to get home again, but she had her pride, too, and the Seishi's bullheadedness was really beginning to wear on her nerves.

   KC started past the door, hesitated again. Her shoulders slumped, and she heaved a resigned sigh.

   "Aw, screw it."

* * *

   Nuriko stared at the gigantic mess of tangled jewelry and clothes in what had once been neatly-organized chests. Her hands clenched the back of her chair so hard that the wood began to splinter under her fingers. "That little—" she growled, before she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

   "Nuriko?" came the innocent inquiry from the other side. "You in there?"

   Nuriko flung herself at the door, pulled it open so hard that she nearly ripped it from its hinges. " _You!_ " she growled, pointing a finger in KC's face. " _What have you done to my things?_ "

   KC blinked at the finger. "Put 'em away, like you said. You never told me to be neat about it."

   Nuriko gaped at her.

   "Anyhow," she continued, "I finished the floor. Can I go now? I'm kinda tired."

   "You can go after you put this room in its proper order!" Nuriko snapped. "Do you have _any_ idea how delicate and expensive these jewels and clothing _are_?"

   "Actually, no, I don't. You should keep delicate and expensive things put away in more secure places, shouldn't you?"

   "You—!"

   "You look really warm," KC cut in, her voice and expression concerned. "You're not suffering from heat exhaustion, are you? Don't get so angry; it's not good for your blood pressure."

   "My blood pressure is perfectly fine," Nuriko snapped. "How dare you be so obstinate to me!"

   "How dare _I_?" KC raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down, her strange blue eyes icy with contempt; the very picture of a haughty princess. Nuriko was momentarily impressed.

   "You know," the Priestess continued stonily, "I offered to be your servant in an attempt to be nice. I really don't want to fight with you, and would much rather be your friend. But, that doesn't mean I'm gonna roll over and let you kick me when I'm down. I'm _still_ the Priestess of Suzaku, whom even the emperor bows to. And, like it or not, you are still my Seishi, chosen by Suzaku himself to serve _me_. So, who is being obstinate to whom here?"

   Nuriko could only sputter as her face turned an alarming shade of red.

   KC tilted her head. "You really do look a bit unwell. It's a hot day, isn't it? I'm not even dressed that heavily, and I'm sweating like a pig. You must be _roasting_ in all those long, heavy robes." She lifted the bucket of water she still held in her hands. "Here," she continued sweetly. "Have a cool-down." And she unceremoniously tossed its filthy contents right into Nuriko's face.

   The Seishi shrieked with outraged horror, spluttering and spitting out brackish water as she mopped it from her eyes with dripping sleeves. "Y-you … you…!" she sputtered, more than a little flabbergasted at being so suddenly attacked. "Y-you—What do you think you're _doing_?"

   "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" KC shoved the empty bucket into her arms, turned and skipped gaily away as the furious Seishi yelled obscenities after her.

* * *

   When she returned to her room, she found Mei Lin hovering outside the door like a nervous mouse, her arms filled with folded sheets.

   "What's wrong?" she asked the fidgeting maid. "You get locked out or something?"

   "His Majesty is inside," Mei Lin whispered, wide-eyed. "I … I did not think I should interrupt."

   KC's eyebrows rose to her hairline. Hotohori was there? "What's he planning to do, ambush me?" she muttered. She stepped toward the door, then reached out to snag Mei Lin by the sleeve when the girl tried to unobtrusively sneak away. She wasn't about to confront the emperor without a chaperone. Besides that, she looked a mess after spending all that time cleaning. "Think you could maybe lay out some clean clothes for me? Pants and another tunic, if you please. Oh, but I'd like a bath before that. I feel like death warmed over."

   "Y-Yes, Your Eminence," Mei Lin squeaked as she found herself being unwillingly dragged into the room after the Priestess.

   Hotohori sat at the small table, sipping a cup of tea as he idly flipped through KC's history textbook. She doubted he was able to read the words, but the pictures of historical people and places seemed to fascinate him. He glanced up and met her eyes when she entered, the little serving girl he'd given her in tow, clutching her sheets like a shield.

   KC's heart pounded hard and she was sure her face had turned red again, but she definitely felt braver with the presence of a third person. She doubted he'd try to bring up _that_ particular subject in the presence of a servant. She just wished she looked a little less like a hobo in his magnificent presence. "It's rare to see you in the middle of the day," she began amiably, flashing him a small smile. She realized she'd missed him. Just a little.

   "I had some free time and thought I might visit and see how you fare," he replied, his deep voice caressing her senses. He paused to take in her appearance. "I see the rumors are not entirely unfounded."

   She winced. "Heard about that, huh?"

   His smile was faint and not entirely pleased. "I admit I was rather … taken aback to hear of our Priestess taking on the position of a common servant under her own Seishi. The courtiers are most astonished. If she has bullied you into—"

   "It isn't that! I offered," KC hastily protested. "She's a bit unhappy with me showing up out of the blue and basically upheaving her entire life. I guess I can't blame her for that _too_ much. I sort of completely _understand_ , actually." She offered a meaningful glance; he looked vaguely uncomfortable in response. "Anyhow, I thought maybe if I helped her out, tried to make friends, she might be a little less … _peeved_ about the way things turned out and be more willing to help me with the summoning."

   He frowned. "She is your Seishi. Personal reasons aside, it is her duty to—"

   "I know, I know. But, I'd rather she do it willingly than be forced into it. This is going to be difficult enough. I'd like to know she's got my back and I can actually count on her to defend it if something happens. It's going to get worse, right? You said yourself people will come after me once I get out there and start looking. I need to know she's not going to 'accidentally' let a stray arrow or something slip past. I need to be able to trust _her_ , and I need her to trust _me_ , or this whole summoning business is never going to work, and then we'll _all_ be screwed."

   He considered for a moment, hands folded before his mouth. "A valid point," he conceded. He sighed. "Are you certain you do not wish for me to simply _order_ her to get along with you?"

   KC hesitated. "You _could_. But it probably wouldn't make a difference anyway. She'd still hate me, she'd just hide it better." She smiled wryly. "I know you're the emperor and all, but even you can't force somebody to change their feelings if they're determined not to. The human heart doesn't work like that."

   Hotohori leveled her a searching gaze. "Yes," he agreed quietly, nodding his head. "I am coming to realize, lately, that wishes and commands will not make a person feel a certain way. Even I do not hold that much power. All I can do is extend my hand, and pray it is accepted."

   KC had the distinct impression that he no longer spoke about Nuriko. She glanced down and fidgeted, wondered how she might distract him from the uncomfortable turn the conversation had taken, which even Mei Lin's presence seemed not to deter. She didn't like that she was causing him pain, but simply accepting his proposal and everything that went with it was out of the question.

   Luckily, her much-needed distraction chose that moment to barge unceremoniously through the door, breathing hard and talking fast.

   "Is it true?" Tamahome gasped, doubling over as he caught his breath. He sounded like he was trying hard not to laugh. "Did you really dump a pail of water over Nuriko's head?"

   KC squeaked when two pairs of astonished eyes fixed on her. "Ahhhh, yeah," she sheepishly admitted. "I was kinda getting around to mentioning that…"

   "What happened?" Hotohori looked more concerned than amused.

   "Well… " She scratched her head. "Let's just say we had a difference of opinion over how clean the floor was."

   "You'd better hide out for awhile," Tamahome chuckled. "She's _livid_. Everyone in the palace is talking about it."

   KC grimaced. "So much for making friends," she sighed. "Guess I made a mess of things now. But just 'cause I want to make peace doesn't mean I'm gonna go around letting her treat me like some pushover. She had it coming!"

   "Well, maybe if you actually swallowed your pride and _apologized…_ " Tamahome suggested. Then, as an afterthought, "From a safe distance, of course."

   She wrinkled her nose. "Awww, Daaad! Do I _have_ to?" She stamped her foot playfully.

   Tama pulled a face at her. "Only if you want to keep from having your lungs ripped out through your nose."

   "Gee. That sounds … pleasant."

   "Just one of the _many_ creative and grotesque ways in which she's thinking of murdering you," he replied cheerfully.

   KC laughed but sobered when she noticed Hotohori's expression. He didn't seem at all amused. She flashed him a smile. "Don't worry. I doubt it's that serious. We've been at each other's throats since the get-go and she hasn't killed me yet." She unthinkingly reached out to give his hand a reassuring squeeze; he immediately turned it to clasp hers, lacing their fingers together.

   KC bit her lip and tried to will herself not to blush as Tamahome choked on a laugh and Mei Lin very quickly resumed changing the bedsheets.

   "Uh, anyway, I'll think about all that later," she continued. "Right now, I'd really like to take a bath and change. I'm wiped."

   "Are you unwell?" Hotohori's big hand pressed gently to her forehead. He frowned in concern. "You feel a bit feverish."

   "No, no. I'm fine. I've been outside cleaning all morning so I'm just a bit overheated. Guess my body's still running on sub-zero winter time. It hasn't adjusted to Konan's summer weather yet, that's all."

   "Then we shall leave you." Hotohori still looked uncertain as he rose to his feet. "I suppose I had better go back to my office, anyway, before my advisors come looking for me."

   "'Had some free time', huh?" KC leveled him a sly glance. "You snuck out just so you could check on me, didn't you?"

   He blushed faintly. "As emperor, and your Seishi, it is my duty to see that you fare well," he replied, a bit sheepish. "That is all."

   "Thank you. I appreciate the concern. You can go back to work now, though. Just don't let them scold you too much. And make sure you make time to eat properly, okay?"

   "I give my word." He returned her smile before turning to glide out of the room, robes and hair trailing behind him.

   Tamahome followed him out, but not before he tossed a knowing smirk in KC's direction as he closed the door.

 


	14. Dude Looks Like a Lady!

   "Lady KC?" Mei Lin approached her Priestess, fidgety and nervous. "Um … L-Lady, if you wish for a bath, there is a pretty little natural pool located just outside the Seraglio. It is generally unused, as there is a much nicer bath built within the Seraglio's walls, but the water is clean and warm. Perhaps you would care to bathe there?"

   KC looked at her in surprise. "What's wrong with the one I've been using?"

   "Oh, n-nothing. I thought of it because Lady Kou-Nuriko often used it and preferred it over the inside bath. It is very private, you see. She very much likes her privacy." Mei Lin fidgeted again, eyes lowered. KC could have sworn she looked nervous. Almost … guilty. It piqued her curiosity.

   "Well, one place is as good as another, I guess. Since you recommend it, I'll try it out. Can you show me where it is?"

   "Yes, I'll take you there. It is a bit difficult to find if one doesn't know where to look, thus the reason why Lady Nuriko preferred it. Also, there is not much room for handmaidens, so I shall not have any attend you."

   "That's fine with me!" KC had yet to convince any of the handmaidens to let her clean herself, so bathing had become an embarrassing event that she did _not_ look forward to. "Just make sure to tell me which lotions I'm supposed to use where. Wouldn't want to end up with my head smelling like foot cream or something."

   Mei Lin giggled, albeit a bit nervously, as she gathered the needed supplies into a basket. She led KC from the room and across the palace grounds toward a large, handsome building lit with late-afternoon sunlight. KC saw several exceedingly beautiful, well-dressed women lounging about the open windows and elaborate terraces, like so many spoiled cats. _Hotohori's prospective brides,_ she realized. They were gorgeous, but they all looked stuck-up to her. _He'd never be happy with them,_ she thought decidedly. They were too in love with his money and his power. They'd never see him for _himself_ , just like he'd told her.

 _Poor Hotohori. He must really be desperate if he's willing to settle for_ me, _just to make sure he doesn't end up with one of_ them.

   A flash of movement in an upper window drew her attention. She glanced up and nearly had a heart attack when a shock of bright purple hair in a lovely profile caught her eye. What was Nuriko doing there? Hadn't she been dismissed?

   Then the woman turned, and KC realized with surprise that it wasn't Nuriko, after all. The similarities were astonishing, but the woman's eyes were the wrong color, and she looked far sweeter and more serene than Nuriko had ever looked. Their eyes met, and the lady nodded politely. KC blushed at being caught staring and nodded back before she hurried after Mei Lin.

   "Who was that?" she breathlessly asked the little maid.

   "That was Lady Houki. She is another consort. Lady Kour-Nuriko's good friend." Mei Lin smiled. "I like her. She is very kind. I think she must be lonely without Lady Nuriko to keep her company."

   "They aren't related, are they?"

   "I do not believe so."

   "They could be sisters! _One_ woman with that hair is amazing enough, but _two_?"

   "Lady Houki has not been in the Seraglio for very long, only a few months or so. Lady Nuriko took her under her wing immediately. She protects her from the viciousness of the other consorts, as well. Lady Houki is a bit timid, you see. She would not have lasted long in that place without her."

   "Nuriko? Being protective?" KC found that very hard to imagine.

   "I believe … Lady Houki reminds her of someone she loved very much in the past. She mentioned it one time, but did not specify."

   "You didn't ask who?"

   "Oh, no! That would have been most impertinent!" Mei Lin looked horrified at the idea.

   "Hmmm." KC looked over her shoulder at the window. Houki had disappeared. "She won't be bullied now, will she? Without Nuriko being there?"

   "I do not believe so. I heard Lady Nuriko made it _very_ clear that there would be dire consequences inflicted upon anyone who dared harm Lady Houki in her absence. The others fear Lady Nuriko too greatly to _ever_ dare tempt her wrath."

   KC laughed. "Can't say I blame them. That woman's a terror!"

   "But _you_ do not fear her, even when she is so vexed with you." Mei Lin sounded a bit awed as she spoke.

   "Well…" KC scratched her head. "Nuriko may be a haughty, stuck-up brat, but I don't think she's a bad person. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's _really_ getting on my nerves and I'd like nothing more than to give her a good punch in her pretty little nose. But at the same time, I can't help feeling sorry for her. She really loves the emperor and he won't give her the time of day. And now, because I showed up, she lost her best chance to win him. I can understand her feelings. Her whole life has suddenly changed and the only one she has to blame is me. She's been reduced from a court princess to what basically amounts as a servant. It probably seriously bruised her ego."

   "Oh, the Seishi are not servants! They are honored warriors sent to protect Your Eminence from harm, so you might all save Konan. She should be proud to have been chosen for such an honor!" Mei Lin protested.

   "Yeah, well, I get the feeling she doesn't quite see it that way."

   Mei Lin abruptly slowed her pace, placed a cautious finger to her lips. They had arrived at the end of the building, where bushes grew thickly. She pointed to a little trail just barely visible through the shrubbery. "Follow this a little way, and it will take you to the bath. Be silent, though."

   "How come?" KC whispered back, even as she wondered why she was whispering.

   Mei Lin handed her the basket and a robe. "You do not wish for … her to hear you coming," she said mysteriously, and without another word turned and scurried away.

   "Ho-kaaay. _That_ was random." KC shook her head and turned to regard the trail warily. She was starting to have second thoughts. On the other hand, she'd already come all this way. It'd be sort of pointless to go back now without washing off. Huffing a sigh, she pushed her way into the bushes and headed toward the pool.

   She could hear faint splashing as she got closer, like pouring water, and wondered if there was a waterfall. Mei Lin had said it was natural, right? But a waterfall meant there had to be a cliff somewhere, and as far as she could see, the only things around this part of the palace were the slightly-overgrown bushes and trees.

   She found the pool quite abruptly. Or rather, she found the screened enclosure surrounding it. It looked a bit out-of-repair with several holes in the woven bamboo strips, and moss and wild ivy growing across the wooden frames. This bath was set up much like hers, with the screens and the openness of it, but the floor was natural bedrock and a strong scent of sulfur suffused the air that the fragrance of burning incense couldn't quite disguise.

   KC was about to step around the screen when movement on the other side of it made her freeze. Through the loosely-woven bamboo, she could see a figure moving in the pool; the sound of splashing water came again as whoever it was dumped a bucket of water over her head.

   She peeked through one of the holes in the screen, about to apologize for interrupting, when a shock of vivid purple made the words freeze on her tongue.

   Nuriko faced her, the water lapping about her waist as she poured another bucket of water over her sopping head. She didn't seem to notice she was being spied on.

   KC gaped, unable to come to terms with the utter _wrongness_ of the picture. Something was off. Something was _definitely_ off. It took her several seconds to process what she _wasn't_ seeing, and then it hit her.

   Nuriko had no breasts.

   She blinked, gave her head a shake with her eyes squinched shut, and looked again.

   Nope. Nothing. Even with strands of hair straggling over the Seishi's chest, it was very obvious there wasn't anything resembling female anatomy. Even _her_ boobs were bigger (she'd take the time to gloat over that later, though)!

   Had there been an accident? Perhaps something horrible had occurred that caused Nuriko permanent disfigurement. Like cancer, or something. A double mastectomy? But … there were no obvious scars. Just smooth, unmarred skin. Pale and under-toned, yes, but a perfectly normal chest.

   A _male_ chest.

   "It can't be," she gasped, and immediately clapped her hands over her mouth. But by sheer dumb luck, Nuriko picked that exact moment to dunk herself beneath the surface, thus missing the murmured comment. "It _can't_ be!" she repeated. "There's no _way_ —" She cut herself off again as the Seishi abruptly emerged. She wrung her wealth of hair and moved to the side of the pool, hauled herself out of the water to perch on its edge.

   The Priestess tensed, ready to get the hell out of dodge, assuming Nuriko was finished. But she merely sat at the edge with one leg dangling into the water, turned to reach for a small basket filled with jars of lotion, not unlike KC's own.

   And KC was forced to clap hands over mouth a second time to hold in a squeal of shock as she found herself unexpectedly presented with the full-frontal proof that her Seishi was _anything_ but the delicate court blossom she pretended to be.

* * *

   " _Tamahomeeeee!_ "

   The door slammed open, and Tamahome yelped loudly and leaped off his chair, sending it clattering across the floor while coins and dice flew off the table every-which-way. "Wh-wh-what is it?" he gasped as he clutched at his pounding heart. Three other men also sat at the table—all palace guards, judging by their uniforms—and hastily rose from _their_ chairs to respectfully salute the priestess.

   KC paused to eye the mess on the table and floor before a single eyebrow rose to her hairline. "You're _gambling?_ " She tsked at him. "Really, Tama, can't you come up with a more orthodox way to lose money?"

   "Shut up," he grumbled as he hastily scooped up his (considerably larger) pile of coins. "I'm _winning_ , for your information. And why're you barging into my room wailing like that? Is Nuriko after you again?"

   " _Oh!_ " KC leaped forward and grabbed his hand. "You gotta come with me. _Now_. It's important!" She urgently tugged on his arm.

   "Uh…" Tamahome looked at his companions, who glanced at each other in confusion.

   "Never mind them," she insisted. "You fellas won't mind coming back later, right?"

   "Oh … no."

   "Not a problem."

   "Not like I had any more money to lose, anyway…"

   Mumbling among themselves, the three men hastily exited the room. Tamahome watched them go with a kicked-puppy expression. "But … but I was _winning,_ " he whimpered with a dramatic hand extended toward their retreating backs. KC could almost hear a forlorn wind blowing through the room.

   "Oh, suck it up, cupcake," she snorted. "You can cheat the pants off those guys some other time. This is _important_."

   "I do _not_ cheat," he protested, indignant. "And what's more important than making money, anyway?"

   "You're gonna find out!" She pulled him out of the room and raced across the courtyard as he bellowed protests at her back. She reached a certain point and abruptly stopped. He was forced to side-step to avoid bowling her over.

   "What the—!"

   "Hsst!" He blinked when a hand suddenly covered his mouth. "Be quick but don't make any noise."

   "What're we doing?" he muttered around her hand.

   "I need a second opinion to prove I'm not completely nuts." She graciously ignored his cynical snort as she led him through the bushes. "I hope she's still there. She seems like the type to take long baths, though," she muttered.

   " _She?_ " Tamahome repeated sharply. "She _who_?"

   "…Nuriko…"

   "Nur— _Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind?_ " Tamahome roared, hastily backpedaling.

   " _Shut up_ , and _no_ , I'm _not_. Will you just come _on_?" KC snapped. "Trust me, won't you? You _want_ to see this!"

   "Our esteemed Priestess is a raving lunatic. Konan is doomed," he muttered, but nevertheless trudged onward until they reached the bath screens.

   Faint splashes told them that the bath was indeed still occupied. KC peeked through the screen, then dragged an unwilling Tamahome forward. "Look. _Please_ tell me I'm not seeing things," she hissed.

   "Okay, fine. But if she catches me and murders me for this, my vengeful spirit will wreak hell and damnation on you for the rest of your _life_ ," he muttered as he crept forward to peek through the screen.

   KC waited with bated breath and didn't know whether to be gratified or freaked out when, after only a few seconds, Tamahome blanched pure white and stumbled backward, hand over mouth and eyes wild with shock. He landed on his rear and stared at the screen, paralyzed.

   "You saw! You _saw_ it, right?" she whisper-shrieked.

   "That—She has—There was—" he stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

   "She's got one, right? And no boobs! I _wasn't_ seeing things!" KC shook him to snap him out of his trance. "Nuriko's really … _she's_ really a _he._ "

   " _Who's out there?_ "

   They both jumped in shock and glanced wildly at the screen hiding them. Nuriko was completely out of the pool and headed in their direction as he hastily covered himself with a robe.

   "Um … um … _baaaahhhh_ ," KC moaned, trying her best to sound like a completely innocent lamb wandering by. She sounded more like one very sick goat.

   Tamahome clapped his hand over his forehead. "Very convincing," he hissed. Without warning, he snatched her up, ignored her pained grunt when his shoulder met her stomach and used every ounce of his Seishi speed to hightail it out of the area.

   He expected to feel a boulder or something equally deadly smash against his head every step of the way, but by some miracle they made it back to his room unscathed, and he unceremoniously tossed her off his shoulder and slammed the door behind them, breathing hard.

   "D'ya think sh—he saw us?" KC stammered, pacing the floor and wringing her hands. "Man, oh man, oh _man_. No _wonder_ Mei Lin was so set on me going to that bath! What a shock! I never expected to get an eyeful like _that_!"

   "I don't get it!" Tamahome whimpered and slid down the door, sitting with hands fisted in his hair. "How could—Wouldn't someone _notice_? She— _He's_ lived in the Seraglio for a year! Didn't he have servants to attend him?"

   "He had Mei Lin," KC replied, voice thoughtful. She sat down beside him. "She's the one who told me about that natural pool. She said Nuriko always used it because she— _he_ valued his privacy."

   "Do you think Mei Lin knows?"

   "I'm not sure… She might suspect, at least." Realization dawned. "That could be the reason why Nuriko wants her back so badly. She _must_ know something, and Nuriko's scared she'll spill the beans on him."

   Tamahome snorted. "A valid fear, given the circumstances."

   "I don't think Mei Lin told me out of any personal revenge against Nuriko. She seems to respect him, even if he scares her. But she did look awfully guilty when she told me about the pool and insisted I take my bath there. She _must_ have known Nuriko would already be bathing there after I dumped that dirty water all over him."

   "Perhaps she did it to help you," Tamahome suggested.

   "How? By traumatizing me for _life_?"

   "And I haven't yet thanked you for graciously sharing that particular trauma with me!" He knocked her lightly on the head with his knuckles.

   She chuckled. "Well, I wanted to be sure, and I couldn't think of anyone else. Hotohori was definitely out of the question!"

   "Heh. No kidding. Seriously, though. Mei Lin might have been trying to help you. She was there when you were complaining about Nuriko. A secret like this… It's a pretty good bet that if it got out, Nuriko would be in some seriously deep trouble."

   KC's brow furrowed. "Just for pretending to be a woman?"

   "No, not that. Cross-dressing isn't common, but it isn't unheard of. Some of the brothels in the city cater to … men with those particular appetites."

   "Do I wanna know how you know that?"

   He glowered. "I'm going to be nice and pretend I didn't hear you."

   She giggled. "Sorry, sorry. So if cross-dressing isn't the problem, then what is?"

   "Think about it. He infiltrated the _emperor's_ harem, with the clear intention of becoming a candidate to be chosen as empress, or at least a secondary wife. Something like that could be considered treason. He could be put to death."

   KC's jaw dropped. "But … but why would he do something that dangerous? How would he even get _away_ with it?"

   "Well, he's done a bang-up job of it so far," Tamahome deadpanned.

   "You dummy. I mean, sure, when he's wearing clothes and makeup, it's easy to mistake him for a woman. But supposing he was chosen? He'd have to … you know … do his duty by the emperor eventually, right? What was he planning to do, claim a headache every night to put it off?"

   Tamahome's brow furrowed. "Put what off?"

   " _It._ " KC rolled her eyes. " _You_ know, the whole bearing-an-heir-for-the-emperor thing? How do you think they'd go about _making_ an heir, huh?"

   Tamahome turned dark red. "K-KC!"

   "Well, didn't he think this through at _all_? I mean, what was he planning to do when Hotohori finally sees him naked and figures out that he's got a _little_ more equipment between the legs than most women possess?"

   Tamahome's head thumped against the door as he covered his eyes with a hand. "We are _not_ having this conversation."

   KC ignored him. "Small tits… Okay, fine, some women are naturally flat-chested, but he's really pushing it in this case. But what was he planning on telling Hotohori about his—"

   "Oh, _stop_. For the love of Suzaku, _please_ spare me any more garish images," Tamahome pleaded. "I do _not_ want to picture His Majesty and Nuriko _naked_! Especially _together_!"

   KC flashed an evil smirk. " _Actually…_ " She tilted her head. "Two supremely _gorgeous_ men, lounging naked in bed together… That would be kind of nice to see."

   "KC!" He shot her an outraged glare, then rolled his eyes heavenward and groaned. "That's great! The Girl of Legend is a pervert. Konan really _is_ doomed."

   She laughed. "Oh come on, Tama! I'm just teasing. Don't get your jockeys in a twist. Geez, I had no idea you were such a prude!"

   He pouted at her. "I'm _not_ a prude."

   "Whatever. Anyway, if this secret is so dangerous for Nuriko, it makes sense that he'll do anything to make sure it _stays_ a secret. Maybe _now_ he'll get down to business and help me with the summoning. Mei Lin definitely deserves a raise. She just handed me some excellent blackmail material."

   "On the _other_ hand," Tamahome began, voice dry, "if Nuriko didn't have a good enough reason to murder you _before_ , he sure does now."

   KC blanched. "Oh. Yeah. Hadn't thought of that." She sighed and bumped the back of her head on the wall. " _Now_ what do I do? Confront Nuriko or just keep it to myself? My methods don't seem to be working, so maybe blackmail is the only way to go? I don't _want_ to force him to help me, but I have to start looking for the other Seishi _sometime_ and I need all the help I can get."

   "Well, I think it's something you'll have to decide for yourself."

   "You know, too. Won't you say anything?"

   Tamahome hesitated. "I'll keep quiet for now. If you decide to confront Nuriko, I'll back you up on it. But otherwise, I don't think it's something anyone else needs to know. I mean, Nuriko was dismissed from the Seraglio anyway, so it hardly matters anymore."

   "Yeah…" KC pursed her lips. "I'm _dying_ to know what was going through his head, though, that he thought he'd actually be able to get away with something like that." She sighed and shook her head. "I guess love makes you do crazy things."

   "Heh heh. Which is why I avoid girls like the plague. Relationships are way too complicated."

   "Uh-huh." She gave his knee a condescending pat. "And because you're a prude."

   "I am _not_!"

   "Are too."

   "Not!"

   "Too."

   "Okay, that does it!" Without warning, Tamahome suddenly grabbed her by the lapels and hauled her across his lap. Her startled yelp abruptly cut off as his mouth closed over hers, kissing deeply.

   After several long moments, he pulled back and released her, and KC slowly sank back against the wall, stunned, her lips tingling. A long, awkward pause followed, broken only by their harsh breathing.

   "Um … wow."

   "…Yeah."

   "That was—"

   "Uh-huh."

   Who knew a floor could be so _fascinating_?

   KC eventually cleared her throat. "So. I promise to never, ever call you a prude again, if _you_ promise to forget the last thirty seconds _ever happened_."

   "Deal." Another pause. "But I'm _not_ a prude."

 


	15. Secrets & Blackmail (the Priestess Way)

   "Are you sure you want to do this?"

   KC glanced at Tamahome, who stood beside her outside Nuriko's door. She took a deep breath, released it again and smiled wryly. "Not really," she admitted. "But it's been three days now and Nuriko won't even look at me without glaring holes into my skull. How long have I been here, and what have I done in all this time?"

   "Well…"

   "Exactly." She nodded firmly. "You think I don't hear what people are saying? I'm the Priestess of Suzaku and so far I haven't done anything even remotely … priestessy. I haven't even left the palace yet. Everyone's starting to doubt whether I'm the real deal or not, which is probably reflecting pretty badly on Hotohori since he picked me and all."

   "Uh, Suzaku picked you. His Majesty just found you."

   "Technically, I found him first."

   "Right." A pause. "So, why am I here again?"

   She elbowed him. "Because you promised to back me up if I decided to confront His Royal Pissiness, remember?"

   "Yeah… Clearly, I was suffering from mental trauma when I made that offer. Although I sounded cool at the time, didn't I?"

   KC snorted. "Don't worry. You can always run away screaming like a little girl if he decides to go all Michael Myers on us."

   "Who? And I do not scream like a little girl!"

   "Says you," she teased and rapped briskly on the door.

   "You know, I changed my mind. I'll be cheering you on from over—"

   "Get back here!" She snagged him by the back of the shirt before he could make his getaway, just as the door swung open. Nuriko scowled at her. "What do _you_ want?" he asked grouchily. "I'm busy."

   "Gotta talk," KC replied as she bodily shoved her way past him, dragging Tamahome behind her.

   Nuriko blinked at the spot where she'd just been standing. "Why, won't you come in?" he deadpanned. "Make yourselves at home, really!"

   "Thanks!" KC chirped as she dropped onto a padded bench just inside the door.

   Tamahome gingerly slid beside her. "I just want to say," he began, holding up his hands in a "don't shoot!" gesture, "that this is all _her_ idea. So if you're going to go all … 'Michael Myers' on anyone, go at her, first."

   KC pulled a face at him. "My hero," she snorted.

   "Hey, I've got a family to think of!"

   "Hey! So do I!" She leveled a glare at Nuriko. "Which is exactly why this bullshit is gonna end. _Today_. I'm not leaving this room until you agree to come with us to help me look for the rest of the Seishi. The entire country is counting on us! _Hotohori_ is depending on us! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

   Nuriko's lips thinned. His deadly glare deepened.

   "Look, I'm not asking us to be bestest friends forever or anything cheesy like that, but can't we at least put aside our differences long enough to get this thing over with? I said it before, didn't I? The sooner Suzaku is summoned, the sooner I can save the country and go home, and the sooner I'll be out of your hair. We'll never have to see each other again!"

   "A tempting prospect," he snorted.

   "Right? So what's the problem?"

   "I. Don't. Like. You."

   KC sighed and glanced helplessly at Tamahome. "Can't _you_ talk any sense into him?" she asked. "He seems to _like_ you."

   "Er—"

   " _What did you just say?_ "

   KC looked at Nuriko, who gaped down at her with a face suddenly drained of all color. She leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees with her hands clasped under her chin. "I said, 'Can't you talk any sense into _him_? _He_ seems to like you'," she repeated slowly, one eyebrow raised in silent challenge.

   Nuriko looked like a statue, unmoving but for the slight quivering of his nostrils. Two slashes of color stood in vivid contrast against his white cheeks. He seemed like he might pass out.

   "Glad to see you get my meaning." KC sat back again. She folded her arms and crossed her legs, making herself comfortable. "So, since you insist on doing things the hard way—"

   "You'll never prove it!" Nuriko snapped, hands clenched at his side.

   KC shook her head. "I don't have to prove anything. Tamahome knows, too. That's … three people who know the truth now?"

   "Mei Lin," Nuriko hissed, eyes narrowing.

   "She didn't tell me a thing! I just happened to be exploring the grounds and stumbled across that little bath when you were in it. Boy, did _I_ get an eyeful! I dragged Tamahome over for a second opinion, just to make sure I wasn't completely nuts," KC lied smoothly.

   "Which is still open to debate," Tamahome muttered under his breath. And winced when her heel connected sharply with his foot.

   "Anyway, I just figured since Mei Lin was your personal maid, and you were so desperate to get her back, she must know _something_ about your little secret. Common sense and all that."

   Nuriko slowly sank onto a stool, his face expressionless. "What is it that you want?" he asked, his voice hoarse and sounding on the verge of tears. "Money? Jewels?"

   "Don't need 'em," KC replied with a shrug.

   "Uhhh…" Tamahome piped up, but was silenced with an elbow in the gut. "…I don't need 'em either," he croaked, grimacing as though he'd just chewed on something sour.

   "I suppose you'll be going straight to His Majesty with this information," Nuriko muttered, voice bitter. His hands twisted the fine silk of his robes into a wrinkled mess. "You must be feeling rather proud at having finally gotten one over on me. I imagine seeing me rotting in the dungeon for my betrayal will be a balm to your pride."

   "Don't compare _my_ actions with _yours_ ," KC snapped. Nuriko looked up in obvious surprise. "I'm not nearly as _mean_ as you, and I wasn't actually planning to tell anyone."

   The Seishi scowled. "Then why are you _here_?" he snapped.

   "Because you forced my hand," she snapped back, "and I'm not above a little blackmail. First of all, stop acting like such a royal bitch just 'cause Hotohori doesn't love you. That isn't my fault, so stop treating me like something you found stuck to the bottom of your shoe. He didn't love you way before I ever showed up!"

   Nuriko flinched but held his tongue.

   "Secondly, you _are_ going to come with us when we leave to find the other Seishi. Which I imagine will be any day now. I want to go _home_ , but as long as I'm stuck in this palace waiting around for you to pull your fool head outta your ass, that's never gonna happen. So you're coming, even if I have to tie you to a damned pole and drag you!"

   Tamahome snorted into his hand, clearly attempting to stifle a laugh. Even Nuriko's lips twitched a little, although a frown quickly replaced the tell-tale smile.

   "Now." KC smoothed back her hair and took a calming breath. "As long as you can act like a civilized human being, I don't see why we can't get along. It would be very nice to know that I can go out there risking life and limb without having to worry about being stabbed in the back by my own Seishi."

   Nuriko stared at her, as though trying to puzzle her out. "I don't get you," he murmured. "You have the perfect way to take revenge on how I've treated you, and you don't plan to exploit it?"

   "Um … I thought I _was_ exploiting it." KC glanced at Tamahome in confusion.

   "I think he means you don't plan on making him suffer all sorts of horrible humiliations. You know, like he made you do."

   "Oh. Well, that's a tempting idea, but it'd only delay us more." She shrugged. "I'm not out to make enemies. I just want to get this thing over with so I can go home. 'Sides, I wouldn't be any better than him if I stooped to _that_ level."

   "Thanks ever so," Nuriko deadpanned.

   "So I can count on you, right?" She fixed him with a determined look.

   He sniffed. "Seems like I don't have much choice in the matter."

   "Great!" She gave a triumphant fist pump. "Well, now _that's_ sorted, so I guess there's nothing left to do but talk to Hotohori about travel arrangements!" She rose to leave, eager to finally be _doing_ something, and abruptly sat down again when a sudden wave of vertigo threatened to buckle her knees out from under her. "Whoa! Head rush," she gasped.

   "Are you okay?" The question came, amazingly enough, from Nuriko. Both Seishi looked at her with concern.

   She chuckled and waved it away. "No worries. I'm just a little tired, I guess. Haven't slept much lately."

   Tamahome scowled at her. "You're going back to your room and taking a nap. That's an order."

   "Wow. Tamahome, going all Papa Smurf on me all of a sudden? I'm touched," she laughed.

   "I'm serious!" he snapped. "Take a nap! It won't do any good to have you collapsing in the middle of the journey. Besides, how do you think His Majesty will feel if you end up getting sick?"

   KC squeaked in alarm. "Ix-nay on the Otohori-hay!" she hissed, glancing pointedly at Nuriko.

   Tamahome blinked at her. "…Huh?"

   "Never mind." She sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll go take a nap. What am I, six? You're so bossy!" She turned to stalk out of the room.

   "KC."

   Nuriko's voice stopped her in her tracks, turning to glance at him inquisitively. "You won't—" He swallowed, hard. "You won't … tell His Majesty about … this, will you?"

   "I already said I wouldn't, didn't I? Geez! You're so mistrustful," she sniffed.

   Nuriko turned his suspicious gaze on Tamahome, who held up his hands in defense. "Don't look at me," he laughed nervously. "It ain't none of my business."

   "I am curious, though," KC added, cocking her head at Nuriko. "I mean, how did you intend to pull it off?"

   He blinked at her. "Pull what off?"

   She rolled her eyes. "Okay, work with me here. For argument's sake, say Hotohori decided to choose you for his empress."

   "Uh-huh…"

   "Well, how did you plan on explaining it?

   He blinked again. "Explaining…?"

   "Oh, for cryin' out loud, Nuriko!" KC huffed. "Hotohori isn't _blind_ , you know. Did you think he wouldn't _notice_ that third appendage below your waist?"

   "KC!" Tamahome yelped, slapping a hand over his flaming face.

   Nuriko blinked, and his cheeks took on a pink hue as her meaning hit home. He scratched his head and gave a sheepish little giggle. "Eh, ya know … I hadn't really thought much further than getting him to marry me," he confessed.

   Now KC _did_ hit the floor, and Tamahome was right down there with her.

 


	16. Liar, Liar (Crown on Fire)

   In the midst of reading a land treaty, Hotohori's concentration was broken by a polite tap on his study door. "Lord Tamahome wishes to speak with you," a servant informed him, "in regards to Her Eminence."

   Curious and a bit concerned, Hotohori put down the scroll and nodded at him. "Show him in," he commanded. The servant bowed himself out. There were a few murmured words, and then Tamahome entered the chamber and bowed to the emperor, who nodded regally back. "Has something happened to KC?" he questioned, unable to keep the worry from his tone.

   "Er … well, I wouldn't say _happened_ to her, exactly." Tamahome scratched his head, brow furrowed. "I think she might be sick."

   "Sick!" Hotohori's eyes widened in alarm. "How so?"

   "She's been looking a bit pale and worn out; she almost fainted earlier," the other Seishi explained. "I managed to talk her into taking a nap, but … I thought maybe you could talk her into letting a healer look at her. She seems to listen to you more."

   Hotohori frowned and steepled his fingers as his brow drew together thoughtfully. "How did she become ill?" he wondered. Was it the stress of becoming the Priestess? Or perhaps his confession had compounded her worries until they became too much for her to handle. He knew very well that KC had been going out of her way to avoid him lately. As much as that fact saddened him, he didn't wish to force a confrontation. It would be better to wait until she was ready to face him on her own. But if her health was being affected by his selfish desires, he wondered if he should simply withdraw his proposal completely.

   "Your Majesty, I think it's been building for awhile now." Tamahome cut into the emperor's thoughts before the guilt could begin to overwhelm him. "I mean, this can't be easy on her, being snatched from her home and taken into an entirely different world, and then told to help save it before she can go back again. She must miss her family and friends, and she's got to be scared of what might happen. We've been doing everything we can to make her comfortable, and she's done a good job of acting like everything's okay, but she's just a young girl. This whole situation must be wearing her out. She told me herself she hasn't been sleeping well."

   Hotohori sighed deeply and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Thank you for informing me, Tamahome," he said quietly. "I shall go see her now. Please, locate my personal physician and have him come to Her Eminence's quarters."

   "Right away, Sire." Tamahome bowed again and left the room. Hotohori followed him out, strode briskly toward KC's chambers. Despite whatever promise she'd made to Tamahome, KC was likely doing the complete opposite, he thought with amusement. He knocked and opened the door to her chamber without waiting for acknowledgment, fully expecting to see her up and about, or missing entirely. Therefore, he was greatly surprised to find her sprawled on her stomach across the bed, still fully clothed but for the boots she had kicked haphazardly to the floor.

   "KC, are you well?" he questioned gently. He closed the door and padded toward her bed. He seated himself beside her as she rolled onto her back, rested a hand against her forehead, and frowned when he felt the heat radiating from her brow. "A fever," he murmured, drawing her legs closer to the center of the bed. He tugged the covers from beneath her body to pull them over her.

   He softly stroked his fingers through her hair and caressed her flushed face, wondering what was keeping his physician. The man lived in the palace; it wasn't as though Tamahome had to run to the other side of the city to find him!

   "KC, can you hear me?" he asked softly, giving her a gentle shake.

   She sighed and muttered, squirmed beneath the weight of the covers. "Canfnd any food…" she mumbled irritably as she swatted absently at Hotohori's hand. "Go 'way, Rex…"

   Hotohori blinked and raised an eyebrow, torn between concern and amusement. "KC, you're dreaming," he replied. "Wake up. KC!"

   She mumbled again and flopped back onto her stomach. "Why're you talkin' t'me, Rex? Yer not s'pposed to talk…" she grumbled. But she appeared to be waking up, because a moment later, she raised her head and looked back over her shoulder to squint at Hotohori's blurry profile. She frowned, confused, and turned over to sit up. She sleepily scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms. "Hotohori?" Her voice came thick and groggy. "What's th' matter?" Then, without waiting for his answer, she added, "I dreamt of when I was little and I got a new puppy. But I couldn't find any food for him, and then he talked to me and he had your voice. You have a really pretty voice, you know? I love listening to you talk…"

   Hotohori breathed a short chuckle, relieved now that she was awake and speaking, although her eyes looked overly-bright and feverish to him and he was certain she wouldn't have admitted to loving his voice if she'd been in her right mind. Impulsively, he reached out to pull her against his chest. "You've fallen ill, KC," he informed her gently as he held her. "You have a fever. I fear it may be serious."

   She frowned for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Nah. That's crazy. I haven't been … _really_ sick since I was … seven years old … and caught the chicken pox from … some kid at school," she mumbled around several yawns. "I'm really tired, though." Her voice was barely more than a murmur. "And my head feels all fuzzy…" Hotohori's breath caught with sudden longing as she leaned heavily into him, head coming to rest trustingly against his shoulder. "And … my body kind of aches a little," she finished as her eyes slowly drooped and she drifted off.

   "Likely due to the fever," he sighed. He buried his fingers into her hair and gently massaged the back of her neck. Closed his eyes and pressed his lips to her hair, and simply held her.

   This was the position in which the physician found them five minutes later when he entered the chamber with barely a knock. Tamahome was right behind him and, surprisingly enough, Nuriko trailed them both.

   The moment they caught sight of the emperor cradling the sleeping girl, the physician coughed sharply into his hand, Tamahome turned beet-red and quickly focused his attention elsewhere, and Nuriko looked as though he couldn't decide whether to scream or throttle the person closest to him. He settled for gouging deep grooves into the door with his fingernails while Tamahome discreetly edged his way to a safer location.

   "This is the patient, Sire?" the physician asked in a brusque, no-nonsense tone.

   Rousing himself, Hotohori slowly raised his head to look at the visitors. He'd hardly been aware of their presence until that moment, but he hid his embarrassment at being caught in such a vulnerable state behind a calm expression. "Yes. This is she. Please see to her," he commanded quietly as he lowered the girl back to the mattress. He rose to his feet and gathered his composure around him. "We shall wait outside until you've finished."

   "As you command, Sire." The healer turned to the girl and opened the satchel he carried at his side.

   Hotohori stepped outside of the room, gestured for his comrades to follow. He closed the door, and the three of them waited in the hallway in awkward silence. Finally, Tamahome cleared his throat. "So … er … do you think it's serious?" he asked, just to break the tension. "What happens if she's really sick?"

   "Ching Li is the finest physician in the country," Hotohori murmured. "If he cannot help her…" He allowed the words to trail off, unable to voice his fears.

   Nuriko didn't deign to say anything, but the troubled expression on his face made it clear that he was more concerned about KC's health than he'd ever let on. Or maybe he was just concerned about the part _he_ might have played in its current state of decline.

   Hotohori didn't miss Nuriko's sullen expression or the way Tamahome glared at her as if he held the woman personally accountable for KC's current state. He also looked as if he had something to say, but for whatever reason held his tongue. The emperor sighed and decided to confront the two of them about their petty squabbling _after_ their Priestess was back on her feet. She was more important at the moment.

   It felt like hours had passed before the door finally opened and the physician gestured for the three Seishi to step into the room. KC was still asleep. A cup containing the remaining dredges of medicinal tea sat on the floor beside her bed. "It appears that Her Eminence is suffering from the beginning stages of a respiratory infection," Ching Li began gravely, "coupled with extreme exhaustion and mental fatigue. The illness and physical exhaustion should be easy enough to overcome with medicine and enough bed rest, but with the amount of stress she has been under, there is no guarantee that they won't come back. Mental fatigue is not so easy to cure."

   Hotohori sighed heavily. It was as he'd feared. The stress of being stolen away from everything and everyone she loved had finally taken its physical toll. When had it all started? He thought back to their first meeting, to the condition she'd been in and what must have been the first signs of illness, and guilt stabbed him. Had she been sick even then, and he'd just been too anxious to convince her to help them to notice? "Is there anything that can be done?" he asked softly. "Anything at all to make things easier for her?"

   Ching Li folded his hands in his sleeves. "Try to alleviate her concerns as much as possible. It is not an _illness_ that she suffers from the most, so herbs and tea will not cure it. Only she can decide how quickly she will recover, and for the sake of this country, I hope it will be soon." With those words, he bowed respectfully, gathered his supplies, and turned to leave.

   "So that's it then," Tamahome muttered a moment later. "She's not strong enough to handle the job. If the healer's right, she'll never be able to keep up the strength to find the rest of the Seishi, never mind actually summoning Suzaku."

   "But she is the chosen one," Hotohori replied sadly. He reached to brush a strand of hair from KC's flushed cheek. "There is no other, and without her, Konan is doomed to fall to the hands of Kutou." KC shifted and mumbled beneath his touch before drifting into restless silence again. He frowned as he pondered the problem. Then, his brow cleared when an idea suddenly struck him. "There might be a way," he murmured. His voice grew more animated. "Yes … I'm sure of it. It may be a rather difficult journey but … if it will help KC, then it's worth the risk."

   "What's that, Sire?" Tamahome asked, perking up.

   Nuriko picked up a bowl of grapes and popped one into his mouth, listening with poorly-disguised interest.

   "We will take her to Taiitsukun," Hotohori announced firmly. "The Emperor of the Heavens will surely know of a way to send her home again."

   " _Home?_ " Tamahome yelped, while Nuriko proceeded to choke on the grape. "B-but what about Konan? What about Suzaku? If we send her home, who's to say she'd ever be able to come back?"

   "Who's to say she'll even _try_ to come back?" Nuriko added once he'd cleared his throat. Upon hearing _that_ , Hotohori fixed the Seishi with a withering stare, and Nuriko squeaked and hid behind Tamahome. "Eh … that is to say … not that she'd deliberately _abandon_ us or anything…"

   "Nice going," Tamahome muttered and promptly yelled when Nuriko gave him a hard kick in the shin.

   "Shhhhh!" Nuriko hissed mockingly. "You'll wake Her Eminence!"

   Tamahome glared and proceeded to rub his abused flesh as he muttered uncomplimentary words under his breath.

   "The most important thing _now_ is KC's health," Hotohori said grimly. "Overlooking the fact that she is the Priestess and that to be ill will hinder her required duties as such, she is also a young girl who has sacrificed a great deal to fight a threat that is not her own. One who is now in the need of help that we cannot provide her. If the only way to ease her mind is to return her to familiar surroundings until she can regain her strength, then I see no other choice but to let her go."

   "She _won't_ abandon us." Tamahome shot a dark look at Nuriko. "She's got too much integrity for that. She made a commitment, and she'd never doom an entire country for her own selfish wants."

   Nuriko sniffed. "How can you be so sure?" he insisted. "I mean, how much do we really _know_ about this girl? Who's to say she won't turn tail and run the moment she realizes she's been set free? She only became the Priestess because she thought it was the only way to get home again, right? So how can anyone say that once she's actually home she won't put all of us out of her mind?"

   Hotohori's fists clenched. He was angry. With Nuriko, for daring to doubt the Priestess she was destined to serve. And with himself, because despite his protests, he could feel the tiny, niggling seed of doubt that her words had nevertheless planted. He closed his eyes, sought to calm and center himself, and when he opened them again, new resolution glowed in his expression.

   "I am willing to take this chance," he said in a low, steady voice, "because I love her. Because I've placed my entire faith in her. Because if she is _not_ worthy to be the Priestess, then she would never have been chosen. To doubt _her_ is to doubt Suzaku himself, and if we cannot trust our one, shining hope, then what chance does our country have to survive? For what reason were we, her Seishi, even born?"

   Nuriko frowned and looked away, for once having no argument to give.

* * *

   KC discovered once again that it was really rather difficult to sleep properly when people insisted on yelling practically in your ear, as she was rudely jerked awake by Tamahome's pained bellow. She grumbled sleepily and turned over, dragged a pillow over her head to block out the noise. Her ears felt like they'd been stuffed with cotton, but she could make out three distinct voices somewhere at the vicinity of her feet. She peered out from beneath the pillow and rubbed her eyes to clear the sleep from them, and realized that all three of her Seishi stood near the lower end of her bed, arguing amongst themselves. Her head felt too muzzy to figure out what they were saying, but it seemed as though Hotohori was chastising Nuriko for some reason or other. _I hope he didn't figure out Nuriko's a guy,_ she thought sleepily, _or there goes my blackmail material._

   Hotohori fell silent, and Nuriko looked oddly shame-faced. But as the emperor did not summon guards to come haul him away, KC assumed his secret was still safe. She decided it might be an excellent time to make her awareness known. She wanted to crack a joke or make some smart comment to try and break the tension she could feel radiating between the three Seishi, but the only thing she managed to croak out was a pathetic-sounding, "Hi."

   It was enough to do the trick. All three men immediately turned their attention to her. Tamahome, surprisingly, was the first one at her side to press a hand against her forehead. "Hey, you should be sleeping," he scolded lightly as he checked her temperature. "You need the rest."

   She pulled a face. "It's hard to sleep with you three chattering away like a bunch of pissed-off squirrels," she retorted.

   Tamahome looked sheepish. "Eh, sorry to wake you up," he apologized. "How're you feeling?"

   She considered. "I've … felt better," she mumbled. "The medicine seemed to help, though. What was in it, anyway?"

   "The medicine?" Hotohori glanced down at the empty cup. "I believe it was a simple willow bark tea. It is a common remedy in this country, often used to reduce fever."

   She frowned. "Willow bark?" she repeated. "You mean like from a willow tree?" When he nodded, she wrinkled her nose, appalled. "You mean I just drank _tree bark_?"

   Tamahome laughed at her. "It won't kill you." He knocked her playfully on the head with his knuckles. "It's good for you."

   "That quack physician isn't planning to feed me anything _else_ , is he?" she asked, suspicious. "No duck feathers or eye of toad or anything like that?"

   "Well, he might slip you some bat dung every now and then." At her horrified expression, he cracked up even more. "I'm _kidding_."

   "I _hate_ bats," KC protested. "Nasty, furry little rats with wings that dive-bomb your head when you least expect it and … and … _ugh._ And stop laughing at me! If a bat went and got all tangled up in _your_ hair I bet you wouldn't find it so funny." Tamahome continued to chuckle while she managed to push herself up. "So, what's the diagnosis, anyway? Am I gonna live?"

   The Seishi exchanged uncertain glances. "The physician does not seem to believe that you will recover very easily," Hotohori began slowly. "You should recover from the fever and exhaustion, but with the amount of pressure you've been under since your arrival, he's uncertain as to whether you might succumb again."

   "How come you didn't tell us you were so stressed out?" Tamahome accused. "We would have done more to help you feel better, you know. That's what we're here for."

   KC pouted. "But I was doing okay," she protested. "I mean, I was handling it and all. It's pointless to worry about something I can't do anything about, anyway, so what's the use of complaining?"

   "But you are worried, aren't you?" Hotohori asked softly. He sat beside her on the bed. "Much more than you let on. Is it fear of the future? Of our ultimate goal or what may happen in reaching it? Or is it that you worry for your family and friends at home?"

   She looked down and picked at the blanket. "I guess I should be more worried about what's gonna happen here, but all I can think is that I just want to get it over with and go home," she admitted. "I'm afraid everyone's all in a panic not knowing where I am. I want to tell them I'm okay and all, but there's no way to do that until I summon Suzaku. Which is nowhere _close_ to happening at the rate I'm going. I feel like I'm just wandering around in circles inside a box or something."

   There was a marked silence, and then Hotohori told her quietly, "There might be a way." At her surprised expression, he continued, "We have decided that, in order to help your recovery, it would be wisest to take you to Taiitsukun."

   She frowned, puzzled. "Who's that?"

   "Taiitsukun is the Emperor of the Heavens," he explained. "The Creator of the world, of the four beast gods, themselves. If there is another way to send you home, Taiitsukun should be able to help us find it."

   Her eyes widened. "You mean that even without summoning Suzaku, I can go home again?"

   "There is a good possibility."

   A long, silent moment passed, during which KC mulled over his words, and her brows drew together as their meaning became clear. "And did you always know about this?" she finally asked, voice low. "That this Taiitsukun person could get me home? From the very beginning?"

   "I…" Hotohori looked decidedly uneasy. KC's heart sank at his wary expression. "I suppose … I was aware, but it did not cross my mind at the time to—"

   "So in _other_ words," she cut in, "when you told me the _only_ way for me to _possibly_ get home again was to become the Priestess of Suzaku… You _lied_ to me?"

   Hotohori blanched as he belatedly realized how it all must look. "KC, no. That wasn't—"

   "I'm tired," she snapped, flopped back into the pillows and yanked the covers up to her chin. "I want to sleep now." Her voice quivered and she swallowed back the urge to cry, but the sense of betrayal overwhelmed her, and her stomach threatened to heave. Hotohori's deception hurt her far more deeply than she would've expected. She'd _trusted_ him, damn it! "I'd like you all to leave now," she commanded and deliberately turned her back on them. She expected more protests. Instead came the shuffle of feet as the men filed out of the room. As soon as they left, she released a choked-off sob and buried her face in her pillow to cry herself back to sleep.

   On the other side of the door, Hotohori leaned weakly against it. KC's faint, muffled sobs stabbed at his heart like the strikes of a dagger. He felt sick just remembering the expression on her face, certain it would haunt his dreams for a long while. He'd certainly never intended to mislead her in such a manner. But how could he possibly hope to make her see a foolish oversight on his part as anything other than deliberate deception?

   Tamahome seemed to share his thoughts. " _That_ could have gone better," he muttered as he scratched his head. "How long do you think it'll take 'til she forgives us?"

   "It was my fault," Hotohori murmured, voice heavy with guilt. "If I had only _thought_ —But finding her just—Everything else simply slipped through my mind, and she _is_ Suzaku's chosen one. She _is_ meant to be the Priestess. Of that, I have no doubt."

   "It doesn't change the fact that she thinks you deliberately lied to her," Nuriko said, which earned a dark glare from Tamahome. "Do you still think it's a good idea to send her home? Now she's got even more of a reason not to return. Do you still put all of your faith in her, Your Majesty?"

   Hotohori sighed again, shoulders slumped with the weight of his concerns. The seeds of doubt festered, grew … and he found he had no clear answer.

 


	17. Wherein Our Heroine Sulks & Finally Gets Somewhere

   Three days later, Tamahome tapped on KC's door, opened it and cautiously poked his head through. "Are you awake?" he asked. Receiving an affirmative grunt, he stepped into the room, arms laden with a tray of food.

   "Are you taking over for my maid now?" KC asked grumpily from her huddled-up position on the bed.

   "Are you still sulking?" he shot back.

   "I'm a teenager. It's my prerogative."

   He ignored her and set the tray on the table. "Your fever's gone down, hasn't it? You should get out of that bed before you start growing things. Fresh air will do you good."

   "Hmmph."

   He sighed. "KC, I know you're upset with His Majesty right now, but for Suzaku's sake, _get over it_."

   KC glared, wounded that Tamahome seemed to be on _his_ side. "I _trusted_ him, and he turned around and stabbed me in the back. I thought he was trying to help me, but all he did was use me to get what _he_ wanted! Don't I have the right to be mad at him for it? And if he lied to me about this, what _else_ has he lied about?"

   Tamahome offered a stern frown, much the same way her mother did whenever she acted particularly obstinate. "Do you really believe Hotohori is the kind of person to deliberately deceive someone?" he asked. "Do you think he's that dishonest?"

   She pouted down at the covers.

   He sighed. "You don't even realize how much he's hurting right now. He thinks you hate him. The entire palace is in an uproar. He's barely eaten for days, he's been absentminded and unable to focus on his duties. There's speculation that he's dying of some illness. If you'd just talk to him and let him know that you _don't_ hate him, I'm sure he'd be back to normal in no time."

   KC finally looked up, eyes narrowed. "You know what would make _me_ feel better?" she asked tightly. "An apology. From him to me. For lying to me, whether he meant to or not. Maybe, if he actually came back and _told_ me he was sorry, I'd find it a lot easier to believe that he _was_."

   Tamahome snorted, shaking his head. "You clearly don't understand how the monarchy works," he replied. "Whether he's in the wrong or not, Hotohori is the emperor. An emperor never makes mistakes. Therefore, an emperor must never apologize for the mistakes he never makes."

   KC's jaw dropped ever-so-slightly as she tried to process the information. "But that's … just _stupid_!" she finally sputtered. "He's also a human being, and humans make mistakes constantly! It's impossible for one man to be guiltless of any wrongdoing. That'd make him like … like God, or something!"

   "Exactly." Tamahome shrugged. "In this world, aside from the Priestess—That's _you_ , in case you forgot—the emperor is the link between the gods and the people. Hotohori speaks for Suzaku, on behalf of his people. That makes him the next thing to a god in their eyes."

   She scowled. "Doesn't mean he's right," she mumbled.

   "In case you failed to notice, Hotohori possesses an excessive amount of pride. Even for you, I doubt he'd be able to overcome years of instruction on how to be an emperor, no matter how sorry he is on the inside. Whether you like it or not, it's up to you to fix it. If you really care about him, you'll try to understand his position a little more." Tamahome reached out to give her a brotherly pat on the shoulder. "I expect to see you out of this room today, or I'll get Nuriko to come and bully you into going out, got that? He's a little upset at you, too, for sending his precious emperor into such a bout of depression. I'm sure he'd be glad to help me."

   KC pulled a face at him, but she slowly slid out of the bed and made her way to the table, a little more unsteadily than Tamahome liked to see. He frowned and pressed a hand against her forehead. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked in concern. "Has your fever come back?"

   She irritably batted his hand away. "If I tell you I'm dying, will you leave me alone?" she grumped. "I'm just worn out, is all. And I want my mom, and Brady and Kimi and—" She choked on the rest of the words as an unexpected sob tried to escape.

   Tamahome sighed and pulled her into his arms, held her tightly as he stroked her hair soothingly. "It's okay," he whispered. "We'll get you home again, somehow. Only four more Seishi to find, right? Konan isn't that big a country, so it shouldn't be too hard. I mean, look how easy it was to find us! We practically fell into your lap." He smiled at her slightly watery giggle. "For now, just worry about getting your strength back, okay?" She managed a wavering smile and a slight nod, and he nodded back before he released her and backed toward the door. "I'll see you later," he told her. Then, as he opened the door, he looked over his shoulder and flashed her a saucy wink. "But before then, I'd suggest you take a bath. You really need one. Phew!"

   He laughed at her outraged screech and slammed the door just in time to avoid the bowl she furiously hurled at his head.

* * *

   After she followed Tamahome's advice (no matter _how_ rudely he'd put it) and took a long, relaxing soak, KC felt much more like herself again. She decided to take a leisurely stroll through the grounds, lest Tamahome make good on his threat to sic Nuriko on her, and found herself wandering aimlessly along the stream again in the direction of the lake. It occurred to her that it might be a good opportunity to check out the gazebo she'd seen on the water before. She hadn't had a chance to take a look yet.

   However, upon reaching the bridge that connected the little island to the shore, she saw that somebody was already in the gazebo, silently gazing over the water. It didn't take long to recognize Hotohori's familiar stance, and she almost turned around then and there. She was still angry at him for his deceit, but Tamahome's words stayed her feet, and after a moment's hesitation, she heaved a sigh and slowly made her way across the long bridge.

   She must have approached more quietly than she thought, for the emperor didn't seem to notice her presence directly behind him, close enough to reach out and tug on his loosed hair. He didn't respond even when she moved to the railing beside him, leaned on it and cast glances at him from the corner of her eye as she waited for his acknowledgment. When several more moments had passed and he _still_ didn't deign to look at her, she began to grow irritated. Either he was even more out of it than Tamahome had claimed, or he was simply ignoring her.

   "I don't suppose you can give me one good reason why I should keep my promise," she began and was immensely satisfied to see him jump, thoroughly startled. "I mean, I was deceived," she continued amiably, "so _I_ think it's only fair to revoke my part of the deal, too." She glanced up at him, and Hotohori gazed back through wide eyes, stunned speechless.

   She sighed heavily and rested her forehead on her crossed arms. "Still, even if I got home without this whole summoning business, I'd only feel guilty about not helping you when I promised I would, even if I _was_ tricked into it," she grumbled. "I guess that makes me a sucker. But I don't want to be a liar _or_ a coward. So, I guess if you really need me to do this, I won't back out on you. Just don't lie to me anymore, okay? It really hurt me. And I want to trust you again."

   She straightened and brushed her hands together in a that's-that gesture, and would have turned to leave, except she found herself being folded into Hotohori's embrace from behind, his arms coming around her so tightly that she found it hard to breathe. He buried his face into her still-damp hair, breath warm and deep against her neck. A thrill of goosebumps shivered over her skin, all the way down to her toes. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear, voice tight with barely-veiled emotion. "Thank you. I never—I _truly_ never meant to deceive you. Please do not doubt me. Do not doubt the regard I hold you in. Forgive me for—"

   "That's weird," KC cut in. She found it difficult to speak around the sudden lump in her throat, had to swallow a few times, blinked a few more until she could steady herself. "Someone just told me that emperors aren't supposed to apologize for their mistakes. Because they never make mistakes."

   Hotohori lifted his head to look at her, eyes dark and hazy and gentle. "Emperors do not make mistakes," he agreed as he threaded his fingers into her hair, "but mortal men do. And a true man will fall to his knees and beg forgiveness when he has deeply hurt the one he loves most."

   KC melted. "Well, damn it. Now I'll _have_ to forgive you after an apology like that. You fight dirty," she snorted as a smile twitched her lips. She felt his chest rumble against her back with soft laughter as he pulled her close again, and a flutter of soft kisses ghosted over her cheek and brow.

   Neither of them noticed a slight, willowy figure slip away from the scene, the proud stature and immaculate attire belying the expression of hopelessness and glitter of tears in red-violet eyes.

* * *

   When KC finished her walk and returned to her room for a nap, she was surprised to find Mei Lin busily packing her belongings into her backpack, beside which rested another open pack containing what looked to be a pile of neatly folded clothing. She stopped dead in her tracks, blinked and glanced around before asking uncertainly, "Uhhh … am I going somewhere?"

   Mei Lin looked up in surprise. "Why, yes," she replied. "Are you not traveling to the Holy Mountain to seek the Creator of the World? I was instructed to pack your things and have you ready to leave first thing in the morning."

   KC's jaw dropped. "Y-you mean they're actually gonna take me to see Taiitsukun?" she squeaked. "I get to go home?"

   "Does your health not require you to return to your world for a short awhile?" Mei Lin asked, uncertain. "In order to recover more quickly, I mean."

   KC gaped for a moment. "I'll be right back." She bolted from the room, headed straight to Tamahome's quarters and unceremoniously threw open the door. "Tama! Is it true? Are we … really going … to … look for … erm … look for…" Her words slowly trailed off while her face quickly turned red, as she took in the sight of Tamahome sitting at his table.

   The table that was littered with dice, piles of coins, and the various articles of clothing and weaponry belonging to the exact same group of guards she'd met before. All of whom were in various states of undress, Tamahome included. She stared at them for a few moments, while they stared back and some of the less fortunate players did their best to hide behind their comrades.

   KC finally shook herself out of her stupor, cleared her throat and licked her lips. "Well. This is awkward."

   "Uh … huh." Tamahome cleared his throat, as well.

   "Strip poker?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

   "Well … they ran out of money."

   "I see."

   "…"

   "So. Why don't I just go … step outside for a bit while you fellows … eh … get dressed."

   "Good idea!"

   "Yep."

   "Er … Can I have my sword back?"

   "Hell, no!"

   "Awww…"

   KC hurriedly shut the door on their banter and sternly reminded herself to _knock_ before she barged into a man's room unannounced. She glanced back and shuddered slightly. Especially _that_ man's room, she amended, whilst attempting to put the memory of several not-so-attractive, half-naked men out of her mind.

* * *

   It was hardly the buttcrack of dawn, and yet KC, for some inexplicable reason, found herself in the middle of the courtyard with her packs at her feet, dressed in a simple traveling ensemble with a blanket draped around her shoulders (it was _cold_ out there, darn it!), a serious case of bedhead, and a scowl fierce enough to melt rock on her sleepy face.

   "Whose lamebrain idea was it to drag us out of bed in the middle of the friggin night?" she complained loudly and jumped back just in time to keep a pack-laden servant—who apparently did not possess the ability to see in near darkness—from colliding with her. She scowled crossly at his back and fought the urge to kick a pebble at his head, or to turn around and stalk back to her room and barricade herself inside until a more normal waking time. Like a few hours past high noon.

   She had never been much of a before-the-crack-of-dawn type of person.

   Her only consolation came in the form of Tamahome and Nuriko, who actually looked worse than _she_ did. They, too, had dressed in simple traveling garments, but they looked like zombies standing there, hair still mussed and clearly half-asleep. Hotohori, however, looked disgustingly bright-eyed and chipper for it being the middle of the night. KC was forced to remind herself that this was probably a normal waking hour for him, and that yanking out his perfect hair would _not_ improve her current mood (by very much). He had traded in his royal robes and crown for a pair of plain cotton pants and a long red tunic. His ever-present sword was belted at his side, the hilt wrapped in strips of linen to disguise its fine workmanship and the royal seal engraved into the pommel. His hair was tied to hang loosely down his back, and although he was obviously trying to disguise his royal blood, KC couldn't help but think he looked far more like a king dressed as a pauper. She'd been honestly surprised to learn that he planned to tag along. Didn't rulers have to stay at home and … rule or something?

   "The sooner we leave for the mountain the sooner we'll get there," Tamahome was telling her. "You wanna go home, right?"

   KC nodded and rubbed at her eyes again. "I just wish there was such a thing as espresso in this place," she grumbled.

   "What's espresso?" Nuriko asked sleepily as he stumbled his way over.

   "Coffee," she replied around a yawn, "with like ten times the amount of caffeine."

   "So what's coffee?" Tamahome questioned.

   KC snorted faintly. "Something you don't have here."

   Their conversation was interrupted by the timely arrival of four servants, each of whom led a saddled horse from the stables. KC eyed their arrival with acute mistrust and a sense of rising dread. Hotohori noticed her uneasy expression. "What is the matter?"

   "Uh … I suppose these guys are for us to ride, huh?" KC nodded at the fidgeting horses.

   "No, they're here to see us off. Wave goodbye now," Nuriko deadpanned.

   "Hush, Nuriko," Hotohori scolded. "KC, what's wrong? You look a little ill. Is your fever coming back?"

   "No, I'm fine. It's just… The thing is, I can't ride a horse," she admitted nervously.

   Tamahome blinked at her. "What do you mean, you can't ride a horse?"

   She shrugged. "I can't ride a horse," she repeated. "Did I stutter?"

   Tamahome and Nuriko looked at each other. "Have you ever _tried_?" Nuriko asked curiously.

   KC shivered and pulled the blanket more tightly around herself. "I did once," she said grudgingly. "When I was five years old, my parents took me to visit a horse farm, and my dad thought it would be lots of fun to stick me on top of one of the Clydesdales to take pictures."

   "And what is a Clydesdale?" Hotohori pronounced the unfamiliar name carefully.

   "One of the biggest, meanest pieces of horse meat ever to be born," she told him earnestly. "They're at _least_ eighteen feet high, and they have teeth the size of my _hand_. And what's worse, they can smell fear. Soon as my dad stuck me on its back, it turned around and tried to take my head off! Woulda got it, too, if I hadn't fallen off the other side. I swear it must've taken me two minutes just to hit the ground. Broke my left arm and bruised my tailbone so badly I couldn't sit right for a week. And I haven't been near a horse since."

   Tamahome snorted. "You're exaggerating. There's no such thing as an eighteen-foot-high horse," he scoffed.

   "There is to a five-year-old!" she protested. "At any rate, I can't ride a horse and I'd rather walk all over the country than get anywhere near one of the nasty monsters, even if it takes a year."

   Nuriko sighed. "What shall we do, Sire? We certainly can't _walk_ the whole way there. What would we do with our supplies?"

   KC snickered. "You're tough enough for a whole team of horses. It wouldn't be any trouble if you carted them around," she goaded.

   He glared daggers at her, and only Hotohori's presence kept him from tossing her through the nearest wall.

   "Think there's time to teach her a few basics of riding?" Tamahome questioned.

   "No way!" KC yelped. "No. Nada. Nein! No, no, _no_!"

   "No?" Tamahome grinned and raised an eyebrow.

   "I'm sorry, should I rephrase? Not a snowflake's chance in hell!" she snapped.

   Hotohori thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose there's no help for it," he replied. He sounded suspiciously cheerful. "If KC cannot ride a horse of her own, and we have no time to teach her, I suppose it is only logical that she ride with one of us. As my mount is the strongest, I shall volunteer."

   KC's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Didn't you _hear_ me?" she cried. "I said I'm not gonna riiieeeyyy—" Her complaint ended on a squeal as Tamahome grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the back of Hotohori's mount, sidesaddle. " _Hey_!" she yelped indignantly as the Seishi stepped back with an evil smirk, and her shout startled the stallion, who snorted and shifted uneasily. She yelped again and struggled to maintain her balance by gripping the white mane before Hotohori smoothly swung into the saddle behind her. He calmed the nervous beast with practiced ease, offered the Priestess an innocent smile when she glared at him. "There now. This isn't so bad," he soothed. "Just relax. I promise I'll not let you fall."

   "Oh, you're just _loving_ this, aren't you?" she grumbled as he pulled her closer to his chest. His arms came around her to grip the reins, the side of her leg pressed to his, enveloping her in warmth. He made a noncommittal sound in his throat as a small smile twitched his lips. She noticed he made no attempt to deny the accusation.

   A servant lashed her two packs to the saddle behind them and a third smaller pack belonging to Hotohori.

   "Guess it's true what they say, that a woman can never go anywhere without taking half her wardrobe with her," Nuriko teased.

   KC shot him a dry glance and pointedly raised an eyebrow at the _four_ very large and bulging packs he'd lashed to his saddle. "Am I the only one who gets the complete irony of that statement?" she deadpanned as Tamahome tried (and failed) to choke back a laugh.

   The servant stepped away with a bow. "Everything is ready, Your Majesty," he said. "Please have a safe journey." He bowed again at Hotohori's regal nod, and then he and the other servants slipped away with the last horse between them.

   One of Hotohori's advisors next raced up to them. He staggered to a halt, panting hard from the effort. "Sire, I must beg you to reconsider your decision to leave the palace," he huffed. "Surely you must realize how dangerous this is! The emperor, traveling alone through unknown wilderness … and with the Priestess of Suzaku, no less, and with what could barely be considered a proper entourage! You are bound to attract unwanted attention. Even if you should disguise yourself there is no way to hide your natural beauty and grace! People shall know who you are at once!"

   Hotohori laughed heartily. "Yes, this is very true," he agreed with an approving nod. KC shot him an incredulous look, then discreetly rolled her eyes and stuck a finger in her mouth in a show of disgust. Tamahome choked back another laugh as Nuriko shot her a dirty look. "It is quite impossible to hide who I am," the emperor continued vainly, "but I am also a Seishi, and I gave my word that I would accompany Her Eminence to Taiitsukun. We three should be more than adequate to protect her should trouble arise."

   The advisor looked as though he was about to protest again, but KC hurriedly cut in, "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine. After all, Suzaku is watching over us, right? I _am_ the Priestess after all, aren't I?" She gave him the biggest puppy-eyed look she could muster. "Do you think _he'd_ really let anything bad happen to the savior of his country?"

   "I—Well, no, of course not, but—" the man stammered, clearly unable to argue in the face of such … cuteness.

   "Then you see, there is nothing to worry about." Hotohori offered the poor man a sparkling smile. "We shall be there and back again in no time. Until then, please do your best to look after things here. I place my trust in you."

   "Of course, Your Majesty," the advisor replied humbly, bowing low. "I shall do my best to take charge in your absence."

   "Then, if there is nothing more to be said, allow us to be off." Hotohori flicked the reins to urge his horse forward. Tamahome and Nuriko quickly followed, and in no time at all they had left the palace estate and were making their way through the vast capital city to take the Priestess home.

 


	18. Roughing It (the Seishi Way)

   Two days had passed since KC and her Seishi began their cross-country trek to the mysterious Holy Mountain (whose true name seemed forever to elude KC's memory), and she could not remember ever feeling more miserable. She was not, she decided, the outdoorsy, Davy Crockett sort of person that would enjoy such a venture. Considering her last real camping trip had consisted of her grandparents' fifteen-foot luxury motor home that included a real bathroom, a working oven, and all the DVDs she could stomach, her current expedition felt more like military boot camp in comparison.

   They'd brought only the bare minimum of everything they'd need. Spare blankets, a few extra changes of clothes, and enough food and water to last for perhaps four days. There were no rainproof tents, no blow-up camping mattresses, no down-filled sleeping bags; just the lumpy ground and a blanket to sleep on, with the softer of her two packs shoved under her head for a pillow. When the water ran out, they refilled the bamboo carriers from streams, and when KC asked what they would eat if their food ran out, Nuriko just smiled evilly and asked if she'd ever skinned her own rabbit or boned a fish before. She hadn't broached the subject since.

   It didn't help that her fever couldn't seem to decide whether to come or go. At one point she'd feel perfectly fine, and half an hour later feel like she was about to fall over dead. She did her best to keep up and not complain, but Hotohori always seemed to know when she had reached her limit and called for frequent stops so she could rest. Needless to say, this made her feel more than a little useless, but nobody seemed to mind. In fact, between the four of them, KC was the one who protested the most.

   During their final stop of the second day, KC rested against the base of a tree and listened as Tamahome and Nuriko set up camp (which consisted of more arguing than the actual setting-up of anything). She wondered if she should get up and help them, but couldn't seem to will herself to move. Her arms and legs felt like lead blocks and her head ached again. _This sucks,_ she griped to herself. _I hardly ever get sick and now when I do, I don't even have any good medicine handy! A few extra-strength cold pills would knock this crap right out of me if I could just get home to_ get _the bloody stuff!_

   A quiet footstep alerted her to someone's approach, and she opened her eyes to find Hotohori beside her, a bowl of vegetables and rice in his hands. Surprised, she turned her head to see the camp up with a small fire burning in the temporary fire pit, as Tamahome tended their supper over it. She must've dozed off and hadn't even realized it. "Here." Hotohori offered the bowl. "Eat this to gain your strength, and be sure to drink plenty of water."

   "Thanks, but I'm not really hungry." She waved the bowl away. "I just want to rest here a little."

   "KC, you really should eat more," he coaxed. "You won't be able to get well if your body doesn't receive proper nourishment."

   "Later," she promised and closed her eyes again.

   "KC—"

   "I said I'll eat later, okay?" Unexpectedly vexed, she fixed him with a scowl. "You don't have to baby me every step of the way, you know! I'm not three years old! Just leave me alone for once, can't you?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to kick herself. But the damage was done; she could see the hurt in his eyes as he silently stood and made his way back to the campfire. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ ," she growled. She closed her eyes and bumped her already-aching head against the trunk a few times.

   A hard, sharp pain suddenly blossomed in her cheek, and she squealed loudly as her eyes snapped open in shock. She was met with an angry, red-violet glare only inches from her face. "Wha're you doin'?" she yelped around Nuriko's violent grip on her cheek.

   The irate Seishi shoved another bowl of vegetables and rice under her nose, his furious scowl deepening. "I'd give _anything_ for His Majesty to pay me the kind of attention he gives to you, and you don't even _appreciate_ it!" he hissed. "So you are going to _sit_ there and you are going to let him _feed_ you, _water_ you, have his _way_ with you if he so chooses, and you are _darn_ well gonna _enjoy_ it! _Understand_?"

   KC stared up at him through wide eyes. "Y-yessir!" she squeaked, meekly took the bowl from his fingers and shoved a few bites of rice into her mouth, made a great show of chewing and swallowing while Nuriko stood over her and glowered. When the bowl was empty, he plucked it from her hands and gave her a patronizing pat on the head. "Good girl," he chirped. "Now drink your water, apologize to His Majesty for acting like such a little ogre, and go to bed! We leave bright and early in the morning!" With a little titter, he scurried away, leaving KC to grumble under her breath as she struggled to her feet.

   "That pushy little—I just bet he was a dominatrix in another life," she muttered, plopped onto her designated blanket and pulled it over her head. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Her Seishi conversed amongst themselves, the low timbre of their voices a soothing murmur. As the sun lowered, the sound of bodies sliding beneath blankets replaced conversation. A few quiet goodnights were exchanged, and then all fell silent save for various woodland noises and the crackle of the low-burning fire.

   KC opened her eyes and sighed. She was still exhausted, but sleep continued to elude her. Probably because of all the guilt that was in the way, she thought dryly. In the dim firelight, she saw Hotohori sprawled only a few feet away. He laid on his back with one arm tucked under his head, the other at his side. A telltale glitter let her know he was still awake, eyes open and fixed on the overhanging branches that partially obscured the black sky.

   Hesitantly, she reached over and plucked at his sleeve to draw his attention. "I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier," she whispered when he turned to face her. "It was really disrespectful, and I didn't mean to be so nasty. Not feeling well isn't an excuse. I honestly appreciate what you're doing for me, and I know I'm probably a real pain to look after. I just feel stupid for holding everyone back since I'm the reason we're even on this trip."

   Hotohori's hand rose to cover hers in a soft caress, squeezed lightly as he threaded their fingers together and pressed a soft kiss to her palm. He didn't say a word, but that was okay. His gentle smile told her that she was very much forgiven, and when she finally drifted to sleep, her hand was still wrapped in his warm and soothing grasp.

* * *

   They were attacked at dawn.

   KC was startled awake by the sudden war cries of what seemed to be a very large band of raggedly-dressed men with dirty, leering faces and greasy hair. All of them brandished various weapons as they converged on the little party from the trees, whooping and hollering fit to wake a corpse.

   She heard the alarmed yells of her Seishi as they clambered into action, and then the ringing sound of clashing weapons, the thud and slap of fists meeting flesh, and booted feet trampling all around her. She sat up in a panic, her blurry eyes and fuzzy mind barely able to focus on the chaos of the smack-down, all-out brawl she'd somehow ended up in the direct middle of.

   "KC! Get the hell out of here! Hide!" She thought it was Nuriko who'd yelled, but was unable to tell for sure. Nevertheless, the words spurred her into action and she struggled to untangle herself from the blanket and scramble toward a relatively safe-looking copse a good distance away from the battle. She didn't get very far, however, before she was grabbed roughly from behind. She shrieked as the culprit shoved his greasy face into hers and gave her a wide, malicious leer that showed off his rotting stumps of teeth. His foul breath reeked of alcohol and old meat and made her gag. "Allo, Luv," he cackled. "Goin' somewhere, are ye? Why don't ye stay awhile an' keep me company, aye?"

   KC fought against the tight hold on her arms and tried hard to think of what to do. Screaming for help or kneeing him right between his grubby legs would have probably been wisest, but in her dazed state of reasoning, the only thing she could wonder was why in the world a Chinese bandit would speak with an English accent.

   "Alright, then! Ever'body drop yer weapons!" another man bellowed, which immediately brought the fighting to a stumbling halt. He grabbed KC from his crony and spun her around, an elbow locked around her neck and a rough grip in her hair. "If ye don't want the girl's throat slit, ye'll do what I say!"

   Tamahome yelled furiously when he saw KC in the bandit's grip, a blade pressed against her throat. When he started forward, Hotohori threw out his arm to stop him. "Don't," he hissed. "You'll only endanger her further."

   Cursing under his breath, Tamahome dropped the dagger he'd stolen off one of the thieves and punched his fist into his other palm angrily. "What're we supposed to do now?" he growled.

   "We have nothing of value," Hotohori addressed the thieves, voice calm. "Unless you wish to steal what few supplies we possess. Take what you wish. Only let the girl go."

   "Naw, I'm thinkin' mebbe I'd rather take th' girl." The leader smirked and nuzzled his nose into KC's hair while his followers chuckled and sneered. "Been a long time since I saw a perty little thing like her. Me'n my boys've been lonely, heh, fellas?"

   More nasty chuckles and a few obscene comments followed. KC wrinkled her nose at the sour odor of old sweat the man permeated and tried to squirm away, only to still when she felt the sharp edge of the blade press more tightly. Her eyes widened when she saw the helpless fury in the eyes of her Seishi, and it occurred to her rather belatedly that she ought to be more than a little scared. After all, here she was being held at knife-point by some smelly bandit, and her so-called "protectors" didn't seem to be doing much of anything about it. What had happened to all those "special abilities" they were supposed to have? Why were they just standing around like a bunch of petrified dummies? It didn't inspire much confidence in their abilities to keep her alive, to say the least.

   Hotohori visibly trembled as he plunged his sword into the ground, halfway to the hilt. He'd never looked so furious before. KC never knew he could even _make_ such an expression, but his face promised grim retribution should he ever get a hand on her captors.

   Which didn't appear to be anytime soon, as the bandit who held her began to slowly back away, dragging her with him. She struggled weakly, dug in her heels and clawed at his arm, conscious always of the knife at her throat. They were going to take her. They were going to take her and do heaven-only-knew-what to her and then they'd probably kill her and she'd never see her mom or Brady or Kimiko ever again and they'd never even know what had _happened_ to her and—

   " _NO!_ "

   The yell came, surprisingly enough, from her own mouth. Yet even as the word ripped from her throat, a sudden wave of heat exploded past her body, sang along her back like the prickle of an electrical fence. She released another screech as the unexpected power hit her captor full-on from behind, and suddenly found herself free as the man hurtled into the air with a howl of pain and flew across the clearing to collide headfirst with a hapless tree. He collapsed in a crumpled heap at its base and didn't move.

   They all stood in stunned silence, wondering what had just happened. KC gaped in astonishment and patted her body all over. When she still couldn't figure out where that power burst had come from, she glanced around and discovered that all eyes had fixed unerringly right on her. The Seishi gaped in stunned wonder as the bandits leveled accusing glares that threatened to pierce her right through.

   Her hands snapped up in a "don't shoot" gesture. "Don't look at me!" she yelped. "I didn't do it!"

   "Well, it had to have come from _somewhere_ ," Nuriko pointed out.

   "I believe I can explain, no da." The unfamiliar, strangely high-pitched voice came from nowhere and the entire gaggle of bandits and Seishi alike jumped in surprise. Grips tightened on weapons as they glanced around in confusion, before a rather strange-looking person emerged from the shadows of the trees, as casually as any passerby out for a morning stroll. If one considered a battlefield a pleasant location to stroll through, anyway.

   He looked like one of those wandering monks KC had seen on the Japanese anime shows at Kimiko's house. Kimiko was, in fact, quite the closet anime geek. It must've been because all that studying had short-circuited something in her brain. At any rate, the stranger approached, complete with a patterned cape, beads, a woven straw hat slung about his neck, and the staff-thingy with the little jingly rings on top. Yep. A typical, old-time Japanese monk.

 _But isn't this place supposed to be some whacked-out version of China?_ KC wondered in confusion.

   Completely ignoring the bandits, the monk paused before the Seishi and tilted his head respectfully. His gravity-defying bangs briefly hid his face, and now KC was faced with another weird hairstyle; pale blue and shaved all around except for the bangs and a long tail down the back. It was no less shocking than Nuriko's purple mane. He looked like an extremely _happy_ monk, what with that stupid smile plastered all over his face. It didn't seem natural. "Um, and you are…?" she hedged.

   "You may call me Chichiri, no da," he replied courteously, still grinning that happy-go-lucky smile. KC was just starting to wonder if his face was permanently stuck like that when Hotohori's startled exclamation drew her attention.

   "Chichiri?" the emperor repeated, eyes widening. "You are another Seishi, then?"

   "He is?" KC gaped at the monk in disbelief.

   "I am." Chichiri nodded gravely.

   "Well … _shoot_ ," KC proclaimed, for lack of anything more astonished to say.

   "How did you know where to find us?" Nuriko's tone was all suspicion, of course.

   The fixed smile finally vanished in favor of a condescending frown. "The Seishi should be able to sense the Priestess of Suzaku, no matter where she is in the world, and follow the link to find her, no da," Chichiri scolded. "Likewise, the Seishi also should be able to sense each _other_ , no da. The closer our proximity, the stronger the bond. Yet, for as long as I was in those trees, you never realized I was there. And not even twenty feet away, na no da." He shook his head as they squirmed uncomfortably. "You must all learn to better hone your senses, no da. The fact that these simple bandits were able to take you by surprise so easily does not speak well of your ability to protect the Priestess, na no da! What if they had been Kutou assassins, instead, who have the ability to disguise their chi from our senses?" He turned to face KC, who froze. "You need to hone your senses, as well, no da. You should be able to sense your Seishi through your bond, yet you also never realized I was there, na no da."

   The Seishi looked appropriately cowed. Even Hotohori squirmed guiltily beneath the weight of Chichiri's disapproval, and KC frowned, feeling rather protective of her friends, and defensive of herself. _It's not like we've got_ experience _in this sort of thing,_ she thought sulkily. _He ought to ease up a little._

   It was then that the bandits apparently decided they were tired of being ignored. With low growls and curses, they raised their weapons and began to advance again, more than eager to resume the fight. But they'd forgotten three things. The first was that KC was now (relatively) free of danger. The second was that there was now another (rather powerful) ally on the victims' side. And the third … was simply that those selfsame victims were really, _really_ pissed off.

   Needless to say, Hotohori, Tamahome, and Nuriko needed no incentive to launch themselves back into the fray (while KC quickly scrambled toward the nearest hiding place to keep herself _out_ of it). They snatched up weapons and readied fists to deliver the good ass-whoopin' the thieves deserved for daring to lay one finger on _their_ Priestess. Hotohori was especially enthusiastic as he ignored his sword altogether to land a face-cracking punch into the nose of the English-accented bandit. The crunch of shattering bone beneath his knuckles sounded immensely satisfying.

   "Good shot, Your Majesty!" Nuriko crowed as he proceeded to toss yet another body onto the pile he'd accumulated. "That's four for me!" he added as an aside to Tamahome, who was swiftly building his own pile. Tamahome muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath and proceeded to lay out another bandit, while Chichiri swiftly took care of three more with another blast of chi and a few knocks upside the head with his staff.

   KC overheard the exchange from her makeshift perch in the lower branches of a tree, rolled her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. _Boys._

   It didn't take long for the bandits to figure out that they were well outmatched in hand-to-hand combat, no matter that there were eight times as many of them as the four Seishi. But they were somewhat of a cowardly lot, and their leader was still out cold and therefore in no position to goad them into continuing the fight. As one, they finally reached the conclusion that the travelers just weren't worth the effort of robbing, even with a real, live girl as the prize. That being decided, they turned tail to flee into the forest as fast as their grubby legs could take them, dragging as many of their unconscious comrades as they could manage as a few final chi-blasts kissed their heels on the way out.

   Once the last yowling thief had vanished, the Seishi sank to the ground in an exhausted heap and tried to catch their breath. KC dropped from her perch to join them as she enthusiastically clapped her hands. "That was the best fight I've seen since the International Mud-wrestling Smack-down on Pay Per View," she called cheerfully.

   There was a moment of confused silence. Then, "Do _you_ know what she's talking about?" Tamahome asked Nuriko wearily.

   "Do I _ever_?" came the exasperated response.

   KC turned to Nuriko, ready with a catty retort, but she forgot to say anything as her jaw continued to hang open and her eyes widened in shock. Nuriko, expecting an insult and getting nothing, turned to regard her with a raised eyebrow as she continued to gawp like a suffocating fish. " _What?_ " he demanded irritably.

   "N-Nuriko, your … um … your clothes…" KC gestured feebly at him and glanced nervously around. His frown deepened as he looked down at himself, and promptly released a horrified squeal as he grabbed the gaping ends of his torn robe in a useless attempt to cover his very exposed chest. His gaze darted frantically around to see if anyone—specifically Hotohori—had noticed this lapse in decorum. Only to find that the emperor had indeed taken notice of his distinct lack of breasts; his wide eyes and open mouth gave testament to his extreme astonishment over the discovery.

   KC and Tamahome exchanged uneasy glances. _Uh-oh._

   "Nuriko—What are—You—" For once, the eloquent emperor appeared to lack sufficient words, his brow furrowed as he sought to comprehend what he was _certain_ he'd seen.

   "You dork," KC sighed, and smacked Nuriko across the arm, which caused him to jump and lose his grip on the torn hem. It flapped to the side and bared his chest all over again. He frantically tried to recover himself, took one glance at Hotohori's bewildered expression, sighed heavily, and gave it up as a lost cause.

   KC almost felt sorry for the poor guy. "Didn't it ever occur to you to wrap your chest in case something like this happened?" she mumbled. "Then you could've at least stuffed the wrapping and _faked_ having 'em."

   "I never needed a reason to until _you_ showed up," he hissed back.

   She glared at him. "No _way_ you're gonna pin this one on me." She poked him roughly in the chest. "This is your _own_ stupid fault." Then, before he could argue further, she turned away and strode to Hotohori, who seemed to be recovering from his shock. At least enough to now look a bit put-out.

_Double uh-oh…_

   "Hotohori? Please don't be mad at him, okay?" she asked timidly. "I'm sure he's got, um, a reasonable explanation for why he dresses this way. But there really isn't any harm in him doing so, is there? So can you just … accept the fact that he dresses like a girl and let it go?"

   Hotohori frowned at her. "KC, do you mean to say that you _knew_ about this?" he demanded in his most serious Emperor Voice.

_Eep! Backtrack! Backtrack!_

   "I—Well, that is—" She could feel herself sink deeper and deeper into the pit she'd just dug under her own feet, shot a desperate glance at Tamahome in a silent plea for help. He was too busy trying to look innocent to notice, of course. She scowled. _My hero._

   It was, surprisingly, Nuriko who came to her rescue.

   "Please, Sire, don't be angry with her. I swore her to secrecy," the Seishi murmured as he lowered himself respectfully to one knee, a fist pressed to his chest in a show of fealty. "She only recently found out and I pleaded with her to keep her silence."

   Hotohori frowned. If anything, he only seemed angrier. "You deliberately disguised your true gender and infiltrated Our harem. For what purpose?" he questioned, voice dangerously soft. "That time … when KC told Us about … your supposed feelings…"

   "I…" Nuriko's entire face had turned red, a glitter of tears in his eyes. "That is, I—"

   "Were you hoping to be chosen as Our empress?" Hotohori finished, his own eyes glittering with suppressed anger.

   KC gulped. And now he was back to using the Imperial We. This was _really_ not a good sign. "Hotohori." She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention, but he merely gripped her hand with his and removed it.

   "Please do not interrupt. This does not concern you. We are waiting for an answer, Nuriko."

   KC sucked in a breath, offended at being brushed aside so easily. "Like hell it _doesn't_ ," she snapped. He blinked down at her, startled. She drew herself up and deliberately ignored her better sense, which told her in no uncertain terms that it really would be better to obey Hotohori when he was in Emperor Mode. "Nuriko is _my_ Seishi! And if he wasn't at the palace he wouldn't _be_ here with us, would he? Isn't it a _good_ thing he got into your harem? Didn't it make it _that_ much easier to find him?"

   Still frowning, Hotohori turned his full attention to her. "That matter aside—" he began, but Tamahome chose to finally speak up.

   "With all due respect, You Majesty, isn't it traditional for the members of your court to go _seeking_ these women who come into your harem? They don't usually come on their own. Only the best are considered, aren't they? So, wouldn't it be your advisors' faults for bringing Nuriko here and not thoroughly investigating him before doing so? It would hardly be fair to blame him for _their_ carelessness."

   "That's right!" KC hurriedly jumped in. "Why punish Nuriko for something he's probably been doing for _years_ before he came to the palace? It's not like he'd had a choice, is it? What would've happened if he'd refused? Wouldn't he have been dragged there anyway? If you have to punish someone (although you don't really _have_ to, you know), then punish your guys! Or at least just make sure your girls are thoroughly checked out from now on."

   Hotohori sighed and rubbed his temple. His anger seemed to be fading, but now he looked drained. "I assure you, my advisors are hardly incompetent when it comes to investigating potentials for my future empress," he stated blandly. KC secretly rejoiced to hear him speaking normally again. "After all, it would not do for one of them to murder the emperor in his sleep because she is in actuality a hired assassin, would it?"

   "Yet for this _one case_ , they somehow got incompetent," KC pointed out. "Can't you think of this as … divine intervention or something? Clearly, Suzaku _wanted_ him in your palace so he'd be close when I finally arrived, and the best way to get him there was through your harem. Besides, he did save my life. Without him around, me and Tama both would be squashed flat right now!"

   "That's true," Tamahome agreed with a sage nod. "We're still alive thanks to him."

   "But why continue the charade?" Hotohori pressed, unconvinced. "When the truth of your identity came to be known, why continue to lie about your gender? Surely you should have known that your status as Seishi would protect you from punishment." He turned his accusing gaze to Nuriko, who still couldn't meet his eyes.

   "Oh, come on! What's the big deal?" KC cried. "So he prefers to dress as a woman. Who cares? And so he loves you, is it really that big of an insult? I mean, you _know_ how irresistible you are, right?"

   Her appeal to his sense of vanity seemed to work. "Yes, I suppose it is as you say," he finally agreed, with a long-suffering sigh. "I cannot blame him for falling in love with me. He likely would not be the _first_ man to do so." He preened a little, which was an astonishing feat given the amount of leaves and twigs tangled in his hair, his dirt-stained clothes, and the swollen, bleeding lip he'd received during the fight, courtesy of someone's fist.

   Sensing that imminent danger had passed, Nuriko rose slowly to his feet, still embarrassed, but mostly relieved to escape harsh punishment. He bowed again and retreated to their trampled sleeping area to gather what remained of their belongings. Tamahome and KC followed to help, while Hotohori remained behind to converse with Chichiri in hushed tones.

   As she shook out her blankets, KC happened to glance up and catch Nuriko's gaze. He watched her silently, as though he couldn't quite figure her out. She squirmed a bit under his intense scrutiny, aware of what he must be thinking. "Well, um, it's not like you'd be a lot of use if you were locked up in a dungeon, right?" she replied to his unspoken question. "I mean, I need all seven of you if I'm ever gonna get this whole thing over with. Besides, I gotta look out for my Seishi." When he didn't reply, she added hopefully, "And maybe now that you see I'm not such a horrible person, you'll be a little nicer to me, too. Since I stuck up for you and all. Right?"

   His lips twitched. "Don't hold your breath," he scoffed, but he was smiling as he said it.

 


	19. Wherein Our Heroine Meets the Maker

   It didn't take long to realize that quite a few of their supplies had inexplicably gone missing. Apparently, fleeing for their lives had not deterred the bandits from helping themselves to the unguarded packs scattered about the camp on their way out. KC had managed to hang on to her backpack only because she'd thought to take it with her when she'd scrambled to hide, but three of the four satchels holding their spare clothes and most of the foodstuffs were gone. Even the horses had gone missing.

   "Well, look on the bright side," Tamahome chirped. "At least they didn't get my money!" And he pulled a well-worn string of coins from the front of his breeches. KC turned bright red, while Nuriko looked fit to kill.

   "May I?" He regarded KC hopefully.

   "Go for it," she snorted, and the purple-haired Seishi cheerfully broke a large branch off a nearby tree and started toward Tamahome, who promptly decided to go Somewhere Else. Now.

   Chichiri witnessed this exchange with a raised eyebrow. "Are they always like this, no da?" he asked through his fixed smile.

   Hotohori wearily rubbed a temple. "You have no idea."

   "Yeah. You see what I gotta put up with?" KC sighed in mock exasperation. "My Seishi are _so_ weird." She flashed an innocent smile at the emperor's deadpan expression. "Anyway," she continued, "what should we do? Nuriko says we only have about a day's worth of food left. I guess we could always ambush Tamahome and steal his money if we have to, but we haven't seen an actual village in days. Does this sacred mountain even exist?"

   "Of course it exists!" Hotohori looked offended. "The sacred mountain can be seen only by the pure of heart. To anyone with evil intent, there will be nothing but dry, barren land, but as we have no evil intent in our hearts, we will reach Taiitsukun safely."

   "If you say so," KC replied, doubtful. "But, I mean, what if Taiitsukun doesn't _want_ me to leave? The Priestesses aren't usually allowed to go home before they do their jobs, right? So what if Suzaku or Taiitsukun won't let us see the mountain to keep me here?"

   Hotohori hesitated. Apparently, he had never considered this possibility. Then he smiled reassuringly. "I am certain that Suzaku understands the need for you to return to your world for a time," he insisted. "You cannot properly perform your duties as his Priestess if this homesickness continues to plague your heart. You will always be torn between this world and your own. I trust that you will return to us as soon as you have set your mind at ease and regained your strength. My country can hold its own until you come back to us again."

   He sounded so certain that KC couldn't help but wince a bit guiltily. If she was going to be perfectly honest with herself, she had to admit that a small, nagging thought at the back of her mind had been festering. An idea that, as soon as she landed in her own world, she could just take the book and shove it back on the shelf in the library (or even better, burn it) and pretend that she'd never laid eyes on it. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.

   But now, she wondered if she'd ever really be able to escape the book's hold. Even if she managed to destroy it, would she ever be able to forget it? In her mind, she would always _know_ that someone—An entire _world_ of someones—was waiting for her to keep her promise and save an empire from a deadly war. The thought of disappointing the people who had come to depend on her, especially the ones whom she'd come to depend on in return, left a sour taste in the back of her throat.

   She might tell herself that none of them really existed, that they were all just characters written in pen and ink inside an old book. But in her heart of hearts, she'd always know that they'd been _real_ and _alive_ and that she'd doomed them all by refusing to keep her promise.

   Yeah. She would be coming back, all right. She doubted her conscience would let her have it any other way.

   "If you'll kindly allow me to explain, I believe I can help put your minds at ease about your dilemma, no da," Chichiri spoke up suddenly. "I've just come from Taiitsukun myself, as a matter of fact, to retrieve all of you and bring you to her palace, na no da."

   KC's jaw dropped. "You mean you know Taiitsukun _personally_?"

   "Indeed. I have been studying magic under Taiitsukun's tutelage these past several years now, no da," the monk affirmed. "We've both been aware of your presence since your arrival, Priestess of Suzaku."

   "Well, then how come you didn't show up right away?" KC asked suspiciously. "Didn't you get the summons Hotohori sent out?"

   "We thought it best to wait until the time was right, na no da," he replied mysteriously.

   KC's brow furrowed to express without words her opinion of that faulty piece of logic, but she didn't press the issue. "So, how do we get there then?" she asked instead. "Do we gotta keep walking?"

   In response, Chichiri unfastened the strange-looking robe he'd tied about his body, spread it between them like some sort of a picnic blanket. KC gave it a blank stare, then looked with raised eyebrows. "We're, um, going by way of magic carpet?" she guessed randomly.

   Chichiri snorted. "Don't be silly, no da," he admonished and tapped the robe-turned-blanket once with the butt of his staff.

   Was it KC's imagination, or did the fabric just … _glow_ a little?

   "Hop on!" Chichiri announced cheerfully.

   "And … then what?" The question came from a suspicious Nuriko, who had just rejoined the party. Tama grumpily trailed him, sporting a fresh lump on the head.

   "Don't you trust me, no da?" Chichiri asked with wounded innocence. Well, as wounded as a person could sound while smiling, at any rate. Really, was the guy's face _stuck_ like that?

   "About as far as _she_ could throw you," Nuriko muttered as he jerked a thumb in KC's direction.

   She poked her tongue out in response. "Well, carpe diem and all that," she proclaimed. "Just don't go hollering at me when you get boot prints all over your clothes." And with that, she stepped onto the robe and held her breath with expectation.

   Nothing happened.

   "Uh … is it broken?" She bounced a little, mystified. "Abracadabra!"

   Tamahome stepped on with her, and still nothing untoward occurred. Hotohori followed him, and finally, a reluctant Nuriko stepped on as well. As soon as both of his feet were planted on the robe, Chichiri stepped into its center and gave it another hard tap with his staff.

   And the ground abruptly began to fold in on itself beneath their feet.

   KC shrieked in surprise and latched onto the nearest support, which happened to be Hotohori. Unfortunately, the emperor's balance wasn't any steadier than hers, but he clutched her to him like a lifeline and attempted to remain upright as the ground rippled like water beneath them, pulling them under and through to … somewhere else.

   It took KC a few moments to realize that the unpleasant heaving had ceased and she was once again on solid ground, clinging to Hotohori like a barnacle to a ship. She slowly raised her face from its place buried against his chest, looked around and blinked against the too-brilliant light.

   The forest had vanished around them. In its stead, they stood on the precipice of an enormous mountain, with soaring cliffs and heart-stopping drop-offs that appeared bottomless due to the thick mists hovering in the chasms. The ground had turned into some sort of courtyard paved with huge, pale, multicolored blocks of tile. The air was filled with strange, shimmering, rainbow-hued bubbles, and just past Nuriko—who had scrambled up to cling like a giant purple monkey to Tamahome's oxygen-deprived torso—a winding staircase ascended to the foot of a majestic palace that towered over everything. It was even more breathtaking than Hotohori's palace.

   "Wh-where are we?" KC breathed, gazing around in awe. "This place is fantastic!"

   "This can only be the Sacred Mountain. No _mortal_ palace could ever exceed the magnificence of my own," Hotohori replied thoughtfully. KC leveled a deadpan stare on him, before she abruptly realized that she still clung to him with her arms right around his waist. Of course, he didn't seem to mind, as his arms were still fixed securely about her shoulders. Nevertheless, she hastily released him and stepped away, offered a sheepish grin by way of apology.

   "So, uh, I guess we'd better go see about meeting Taiitsukun," she said with more confidence than she felt. "Where'd Chichiri take himself off to, anyway? If he got stuck in cyberspace somewhere, it'd serve him right for not _warning_ us."

   "I would have expected you to _thank_ my pupil for saving you the trouble of another two days' journey with no supplies," a dry, crackly voice admonished, directly behind her.

   Startled, she whirled around, released a screech of fright and scrambled to hide behind Hotohori's broad back. "It's a monster! Kill it!" she wailed as she clutched the emperor's shoulders for dear life. Hotohori was too busy looking nauseated to reply, but he did start to draw his sword.

   "Oh, knock it off you two!" the hideous entity bellowed, produced a huge, comical-looking mallet from out of nowhere and brandished it threateningly. "Here I am, welcoming you into my home, and you both have the gall to insult me?"

   "Your home?" KC gulped and peeked around Hotohori's shoulder for a better look at the creature.

   "Then … _you_ are Taiitsukun?" Hotohori asked with an air of utter disbelief, his expression a mix of shock and utter horror.

   "Of course I am, you Suzaku ninnies!" the Emperor of the Heavens roared as she took a swing at Hotohori's head. "Who were you expecting?"

   "Somebody taller?" Nuriko muttered as an aside to Tamahome and received an immediate whack across the head from the mallet that sent him crashing to the ground in a twitching heap.

   Tamahome wisely kept his mouth shut.

   KC regarded the Emperor of the Heavens more closely, fascinated despite her initial fright. Now that she got a good look, the odd little creature didn't really look so much like a monster as an extremely wrinkled, extremely decrepit old woman. Who appeared as though she might have once upon a time been resurrected from some ancient Egyptian tomb. If there was such a thing in this world. Now she could see that the woman appeared to be floating in midair on some sort of cloud ( _Like that Goku guy and his pet cloud-thingy,_ she thought), with her legs tucked under her robes. She floated at eye-level, but if she stood, she probably would have reached KC's hip.

   KC felt she ought to apologize, if she wanted to have any chance of actually going home again, so she timidly stepped forward—a wary eye on the mallet—and bowed respectfully. "I'm, uh, sorry about the monster crack, Your … erm … Majesty," she said. "I didn't expect to, uh, see you, and you startled me."

   "I suppose it is possible for such a mistake to be made," the old woman grumbled. She patted her elaborate coif of hair, appeased. "Just don't let it happen again."

   KC nudged Hotohori in the ribs, and he bowed awkwardly, as well. "Please also forgive my misunderstanding," he added, as sincerely as possible. It was quite the feat, given that he could not directly look at the Emperor of the Heavens, and did, in fact, look rather green around the gills.

   Taiitsukun eyed him haughtily before she waved a dismissive hand. "Never mind then," she huffed. "You've come all this way to see me, so it must be important. Let us adjourn to my palace now." She gestured and the giant square of tile the group stood on abruptly heaved, began to shake slightly, and slowly rose into the air. KC yelped and hit the deck to cling to the polished surface as best she could. Her Seishi quickly sat down next to her, gripped the edges of the stone, and they began to move very swiftly toward the palace. "I think I'd rather ride a horse," KC groaned as she buried her face against the cold tile.

   Taiitsukun led the way under her own power, her elaborate robes and length of white hair streaming behind her. Soon enough, the tile reached the palace, rudely deposited its riders by flipping up to allow them to slide off and land in a rather undignified heap before the huge, open doors. Then it flew away again. Presumably to put itself back in place on the mountain courtyard.

   "Welcome, no da!" Chichiri greeted them. He waved cheerfully from his place beside an ornate throne, to which Taiitsukun glided and settled herself with the air of a queen. Or a very prissy cat.

   "Have you been here the whole time?" KC accused. "You might've brought us with you, you know."

   "Somebody had to inform Taiitsukun of your arrival, no da. It's very rude to just barge into somebody's palace unannounced, na no da," the Seishi sniffed.

   KC faltered for a second. He had a point. "Well, um, if she's the Emperor of the Heavens, wouldn't she have already known we were here?"

   "It's a matter of formality, no da," he replied with wounded dignity.

   "Yeah, okay, whatever. Now that we're here… Can I go home now? I really, really want to go home now." KC turned beseeching eyes to Taiitsukun. "They said you could get me there. You can, right?"

   Taiitsukun eyed her speculatively.

   "I know what you're probably thinking," she hastily added. "If she goes home, will she come back again? Well, I _will_ come back. I made a promise to help Konan, didn't I? Do you think I'd be able to live with myself if I broke it?"

   "Sometimes, although their intentions might be honorable, humans allow themselves to become distracted from their goals," Taiitsukun stated gravely. "You may have the initial determination to return here, but when you are home, can you promise that you will continue to hold Konan first in your mind? How can you claim that you will not allow the comforts of your true life to lure you from your duties here? Perhaps, it will be, 'I will return tomorrow, once I have taken care of matters here.' And then, when tomorrow comes, you may tell yourself, 'I'll return the next day. I haven't spent enough time saying farewell to my family.' And perhaps, the day after that, you will feel that you are too tired to return, that you still need time to regain your strength, so you must spend another day resting, and after that—"

   "I won't do that!" KC blurted, then blushed when Taiitsukun shot her an admonishing glance. "I won't … I won't let myself become distracted," she insisted. "I'm just worried about my mom and my friends. They've got to be wondering what happened to me by now. It's been weeks, and nobody knows where I am. I … I have to let them know I'm okay." She stared down at the floor as her eyes began to burn. What if, after all this, Taiitsukun wouldn't allow her to leave, after all?

   "Please, Your Eminence, we have traveled all this way in the hopes that you could help KC," Hotohori began softly. "She has been ill, and will not recover properly until she can ease her mind about her family. If Suzaku himself has chosen her to serve him, then why must we doubt her? Surely, he would not choose someone who is so selfish that she would simply abandon those who depend on her at the first opportunity."

   Taiitsukun sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "This is all highly irregular," she complained. "I cannot recall a time when a Priestess and her Seishi have requested leave _before_ she completes her duties. Of course, there have only been two other Priestesses thus far, and their particular situations were … somewhat different." She noted the questioning looks on her guests' faces. "That is a story best related at another time. You are all tired from your battle, and some of you are injured. Doubtless, you are hungry, as well. Allow my Nyan-Nyan to heal and feed you, and then I request that you stay the night to fully regain your strength. I will think on this matter in the meantime."

   KC wanted to protest, but when her Seishi simply bowed in acquiesce with the Emperor of the Heaven's wishes, she realized she was defeated for the time being. She felt her shoulders slump as disappointment crashed heavily onto them. She was _so close_ to getting her wish, and now this. She had never been very patient when it came to getting something she desperately wanted. Suddenly, she felt very, very tired. The burning in her eyes intensified, and she blinked rapidly, tried to look like everything was okay, that she wasn't about to break down into a wailing, blubbering mess in front of everyone.

   Of course, Hotohori knew better—He always seemed to know everything in regards to her emotions—and she felt his arm slide around her to pull her into a comforting embrace. "It will be fine," he assured her gently. "For now, allow Taiitsukun to show us her hospitality. We are all a bit out of sorts. A meal and a night of rest will do much to restore our spirits."

   She nodded silently, unable to speak for fear her grievance would make itself known in apparent anger. It wasn't Hotohori's fault that Taiitsukun had denied their request, after all, and she wasn't about to take her frustration out on him again.

   Taiitsukun clapped her hands and the weird pink bubbles that floated randomly about the room suddenly burst with audible pops. Eleven or twelve strange-looking little girls with aqua-colored hair and huge eyes dropped to the floor amid childish giggles. KC forgot her ire as she gaped at the girls, who looked like they could have been clones of each other. "We heal! We heal!" they chirped in high, tinny voices as they scattered to each of the Seishi and set to work. They reminded her of so many worker bees swarming a hive as they patted and prodded and made a general annoyance of themselves.

   She felt a tug on each of her hands, glanced down to find two Nyan-Nyan of her own clinging to her. They regarded her with huge grins that sent an apprehensive shiver up her spine. "We heal!" one of them squealed, and she yelped as she abruptly found herself being hauled to the floor. For such tiny creatures, the weird clone-girls each packed the strength of a gorilla, and she was helpless to stop them as they stripped her of her soiled, travel-worn garments.

   "Hey!" she yelped. "Can't we at least have some privacy? Hello! There are _guys_ here, you know!"

   But she needn't have worried about being seen; Tamahome, Nuriko, and Hotohori were all buried under their own pile of enthusiastic Nyan-Nyan, and Chichiri had vanished again. Taiitsukun oversaw the whole operation with all the exasperated patience of a mother cat tending her squabbling kittens. She barked commands and, every once in awhile, sent a Nyan-Nyan flying through the roof when one got a little too exuberant in her work.

   When it was finally over, KC found herself somehow cleaned and redressed in her own original clothes, which had been mended and washed and looked better than new. As for that, KC herself _felt_ better than new. At least, she no longer felt weak and dizzy, just a bit disoriented from her whirlwind experience. It was as though she'd never gotten sick in the first place. And she found she was suddenly _ravenous_. She hadn't realized how much of an appetite she _didn't_ have until that moment, now that she wasn't too nauseous to think about eating.

   "Wow!" She gaped down at the Nyan-Nyan, impressed despite herself. "You guys are fantastic! Can I take you home with me? You're like a laundromat, a bathtub, and a walking pharmacy, all at the same time!"

   The Nyan-Nyan giggled with delight.

 


	20. Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy-Jig

   KC sat on the balcony outside of her temporary bedroom, which overlooked the magnificence of Taiitsukun's palace and the surrounding terrain. Her chin rested against the cool stone of the low railing, and her legs dangled over the edge of the balcony between the squat, marble rungs. Her arms hung limply over the banister as she stared through half-lidded eyes out at nothing, and she sighed deeply and kicked her feet idly, letting the heels of her boots smack against the lower wall with dull thuds.

   It was sometime during the night; KC had long since given up attempting to make sense of time in that world. If the sun rose, it was daytime. If it set, it was night, and that was the extent of it. She'd never realized how much she depended on having twenty-four set hours in her day until they were taken from her. Frankly, it seemed an awfully uncivilized way to live.

   She knew she was supposed to be sleeping—Hotohori would probably have kittens if he realized she was still awake at … whatever hour this was—but for the life of her, sleep was the very _last_ thing on her mind. She was too busy imagining what it would be like when she got home ( _if_ she got home). What would she tell everyone? Somehow, she didn't think they would appreciate the truth. Although… She frowned thoughtfully. Who had first claimed that truth was stranger than fiction, anyway?

   The light streaming around her from the general vicinity of her room abruptly went dark, likely due to the shadow that suddenly loomed over her. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head back to find Hotohori's darkened visage leaning over her body. "How come you're not sleeping?" was the first question out of her mouth.

   "I might ask you the same," came the amused reply. He offered a faint smile and lowered himself to the stone floor, his presence a warm glow against her back. She fought the urge to shiver at his close proximity. "Are you well?" he questioned softly.

   She shrugged and slumped forward again, crossed her arms under her chin. "I'm okay," she replied after a moment. She heard him shift and was startled when his long legs slid around her to dangle over the edge on either side, so she was cushioned between them. The heat of his legs warmed her own, but her face went scarlet when she felt his thighs closely cradling her hips. His arms slid around her waist and one hand came to rest idly against her stomach. He drew her back until she leaned against his chest. Her heart pounded and she felt feverish again for an entirely different reason. To hide her discomfort, she looked awkwardly over her shoulder and asked, only half-jokingly, "Is it proper for an emperor to sit on the floor?"

   She was unprepared for the serious, lidded gaze that bore intently into hers, nor the gentle hand that cupped her chin and brought her face closer to his, nor his straightforward, solemn reply, "At this moment, I am not an emperor. I am only a simple man."

   She half-dreaded his kiss, but when it came—falling softly upon her lips like the breath of a spring breeze—the dread vanished beneath the tumult of emotion his familiar touch invoked, slow and melting and hot. It was with great reluctance that she pulled away. Her forearm pushed against his chest to keep him at a safe distance. "I—Um, m-maybe you shouldn't do that," she mumbled, lowered her burning face. "S-someone might get the wrong idea."

   He gazed down at her sadly, the disappointment clear in his eyes. "KC, may I ask why it is you are so hesitant to accept my love?" he asked softly. "Why do you deny my proposal? Am I not—Do you not find me an appropriate suitor?"

   She was caught completely off guard by the question. Her startled gaze rose to his, and she found herself caught in his eyes again. "Th-that's not it," she stuttered. "It's not because I've got anything against _you_. I just—I'm too young to get married. Didn't I say that already?"

   "Yes, but I cannot help feeling there is more to your hesitance than simply your age."

   "The fact that I want to go home definitely has something to do with it," she deadpanned.

   "Well, suppose you were able to go home. Suppose there was some way for us to be together without keeping you here. If there was a way for me to go to _your_ world, would you accept me then?" he pressed.

   Her brow furrowed and she scratched her head, before turning her back to him again. "Geez, you're persistent," she grumbled. "Are you saying there's a way for you to go to my world?"

   He sighed. "I cannot be certain of that, but I'm sure Suzaku would be able to help us if we asked it of him."

   She shook her head. "You can't do that, Hotohori. What about your responsibilities here? You're the emperor! Are you telling me you'd be willing to abandon your country just to follow me home?"

   "Yes," he replied without hesitation. "I would give up everything, go anywhere, if it meant that I could be with you."

   She turned around to fix him with a stern look. "I wouldn't accept you," she stated. "Not if it meant you'd abandon all your responsibilities. You'd be condemning Konan's people to the same kind of fate they'd meet if Kutou took it over, wouldn't you? So then why was I brought here in the first place? I don't know much about monarchy in general, but it seems like a country without a ruler would just fall apart."

   She saw his hand clench into a fist on his thigh. "Yes," he agreed, "but do _my_ needs not matter? All of my life, I have put Konan before anything else. I have denied myself everything I might have wanted for the sake of my people." His words were laced with bitter frustration. "Must I deny my heart, as well, now that I have finally met my soul's mate?"

   KC blushed all over again. "Look, maybe I can understand a little why you're frustrated, but Konan is your legacy. Your parents left the empire and its people in your hands, to protect and care for. It's what you were born to do, and when you have a son of your own, you'll pass the crown to him with the hopes that he'll take as much responsibility toward it as you have. Would you really be able to live with yourself if you just tossed it all aside to follow your own whims? You don't strike me as being that kind of irresponsible person."

   He held her gaze for a long moment, then released a drawn-out breath. "No, I suppose not," he admitted grudgingly, and allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "You truly understand my character, KC. If I abandoned my country, even for you, in time I would regret the decision."

   "And that's why you're a good, honorable man," she replied. "I don't think I'd like you as much as I do otherwise."

   "Then why will you not _stay_ with me? Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?"

   She huffed a sigh. "Look, I'm not—" She stopped and shook her head. "Your offer is tempting, it _really_ is, but it isn't something I should say yes to just like that. If I agreed to stay with you, I'd be making a lifetime commitment, and I'd be giving up _everything_. And … frankly, how do I know it will last? How can I know for sure you'll stay in love with me? I don't even know if I'm in love with you! I don't know what that feels like."

   "It feels as if the walls surrounding my soul have crumbled, and everything I am, and ever was, and ever will be is bared to your eyes," he described softly, his voice wistful. "Everything within me cries out for your presence, and only when you are at my side, just like this, am I at peace."

   KC really wanted to melt into him, just lean back and let him hold her and kiss her and do whatever else he wanted to her. But she _also_ wanted to keep arguing her point, because she knew she had a really good one to make.

   In the end, common sense won out. Barely. "You keep saying stuff like that," she began quietly, "but how am I supposed to believe that it's actually _me_ you're in love with?"

   He stiffened at the accusation, clearly offended. "I am afraid I do not understand."

   She licked her lips and ran a hand through her hair as she struggled to piece her thoughts. "You told me before about how much you've loved the Priestess, ever since you first found out about her. You said you thought she would be the one to save you from being lonely. Frankly, the way you talk about her, you make her sound like some kind of a goddess or something."

   "Yes, but I don't understand what you—"

   "So, you keep telling me that you love _me_ because I happen to be _her,_ but what if I wasn't the one who'd gotten picked?" she blurted, cutting him off. "I mean, it could just as easily have been somebody else who'd found that book and gotten sucked through, right?"

   She stubbornly ignored the fact that very few girls her age would have even been able to gain access to the library basement in the first place. That didn't matter.

   Hotohori's expression cleared. "KC, Suzaku would not have pulled just anybody into our world," he assured her. "You are the only one he has chosen, nobody else."

   "How can you know that for certain?" she pressed. "And … and even if that's true, I'm not this ideal woman you think is going to save you. I can't even get my own life in order, much less save anybody else from theirs. But putting _that_ aside, what if it _had_ been somebody else who had gotten pulled through the book? Like … like my friend Kimiko, for instance."

   He sighed, rubbing his temple wearily. "KC, I truly do not understand what—"

   "Because, if it _had_ been her, then everything you've been telling _me,_ you'd be saying to _her_ instead, wouldn't you? Wouldn't _she_ be your ideal woman, because she was the one who got picked to be the Priestess?"

   Hotohori looked like he was about to argue some more, but she didn't give him a chance as she hurried on, "So _now_ let's assume that for some bizarre reason, you're still able to meet me even after Kimiko had already gotten picked. Would you still be going on about how _I'm_ the one you love, even though Kimiko is the Priestess now? Would you even be willing to give me a second glance after meeting Kimiko, who is quiet and pretty and smart and everything I'm _not_?"

   Hotohori looked almost flabbergasted. Clearly, he had never considered this point of view, and KC felt satisfaction for finally making him see her point. "I—That's—" he sputtered, at a loss for words. Then he seemed to shake off his confusion, and continued more firmly, "The point is, _you_ are Suzaku's chosen one. You alone are the fated savior of our country, and—"

   "The _point_ is, it's the _ideal_ of the Priestess of Suzaku that you fell in love with, not me as a person," KC replied heatedly. Good grief, what did it take to make this guy see _reason_? She drummed her fingers nervously against the railing. "I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to give up my entire life only to have you figure out later on that I'm _not_ this perfect woman you've deluded yourself into believing I am. I don't want to be stuck here while you decide you would have been better off marrying somebody else who knows how to be a proper empress."

   She leaned forward to rest her chin on her arms again. "You keep saying you want me to see you as only a man, but aren't you being hypocritical? I think you only see me as your perfect Priestess, and not a regular girl who doesn't know anything about love or relationships or even real life outside of high school! I don't even know what I want to do after I graduate because that's two years away and I don't want to think about it yet. I'm still just a kid, and it's not fair of you to keep pressing me to grow up before I'm ready, just because you can't tell the difference between reality and your delusion."

   There came a soft, indrawn breath, and then silence. KC wanted to kick herself; she could practically feel the hurt radiating from Hotohori, and she regretted speaking to him so harshly. He'd done so much for her already, and he deserved a little kindness after everything she'd put him through. Why couldn't she have at least tried to soften her words? Even if he _was_ deluded, couldn't she at least let him have his little fantasy?

   "Look…" She sighed and turned to face him. "I'm sorry. Honestly. I _hate_ being so mean to you. It's just that I … I don't believe in true love and soulmates, especially between people who hardly know each other." She hesitated. "Even for people who _have_ known each other for a long time, who grew up together and always loved each other … it doesn't always work. People you think will never be separated because they're in love just … just fall _out_ of love one day, and then it's all over. Nothing can bring them together again. I don't want to end up like that."

   "KC." To her surprise, he didn't look offended or angry. Rather, he regarded her with compassion. "What has happened to make you so jaded toward love?" he murmured. "Why can you not accept things as they are, and simply embrace the fact that you _are_ the one destined for Suzaku, and for me? Forget what-ifs and logic, what does any of that have to do with love, anyway? Can you not believe that we would both be happy if we stayed together?"

   "It's not about believing I'd be happy if we stayed together," she told him. "I just don't have a reason to believe we _would_ stay together. I know you think you love me, but I can't measure up to your ideals. And whatever it is you think you feel for me right now, it won't last when you finally realize I'm not your perfect woman."

   "KC, why must you doubt me?" His voice was laced with weary frustration as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Why can you not trust me to know my own heart? Why can you not trust what _your_ heart tells you? Do you think I cannot see the way you look at me? Your eyes mirror everything I feel for you. Is your fear of the unknown so great that you would deny your own soul?"

   She looked away, jaw clenched in stubborn refusal. He fingered a lock of her hair, raised it to his lips. "Poor, sweet dove. I feel I can only pity you," he sighed.

   That got her attention, and she glared at him, stung. "I don't want your pity," she snapped. "If _you'd_ just bother to actually think about it a little, you'd probably realize I'm right!"

   He contemplated and seemed to draw the conclusion that he fought a losing battle. "Please rest now. It is very late," he murmured, gently kissed her cheek and climbed to his feet. She stared up at him, surprised and just a little suspicious of the sudden retreat, but he strode from the balcony without a backward glance and left her to her own thoughts.

* * *

   KC found herself rudely jerked out of a fitful sleep by a herd of wild elephants trampling all over the bed. She yelled loudly and bolted up, clutched the sheets to her chin and stared with bleary-eyed amazement at the half-dozen Nyan-Nyan who seemed to be engaged in a trampoline contest on her mattress.

   "Good morning! Good morning! We wake!" they squealed loudly as soon as they felt her stare.

   "You couldn't have just poked me in the shoulder or something?" she grumbled as she tossed the coverlet over their heads, earning a flurry of giggles. Then again, given their strength, she'd probably have woken up full of holes if they'd tried.

   "Breakfast time!" one of them squeaked. "Taiitsukun is waiting! Hurry, hurry!"

   "I'm going, I'm going," she grumbled, struggled out of bed and staggered down the hall, led by the over-exuberant clone-girls. It was still dark outside; why couldn't these people wake up at a more reasonable hour? She wondered if she'd ever be able to get into a normal sleeping schedule again after this little adventure.

   They arrived at the dining hall, where all four of her Seishi were already engaged in another feast. If there was one thing she could say about Taiitsukun's hospitality, the woman certainly pulled out all the stops when it came to entertaining guests.

   Their hostess was seated at the head of the table, sipping calmly at a cup of tea. "Good morning," she intoned regally. "I trust you slept well?"

   "Like a log," KC mumbled, although the dark circles under her eyes and her pale face belied the claim. She plopped onto a cushion between Nuriko and Tamahome. "So, um, not to be rude or anything, but have you thought about my situation?" She regarded the Emperor of the Heavens anxiously, crossed her fingers under the table as she waited for the answer. She didn't know _what_ she ought to feel at the moment; dread or anticipation.

   Taiitsukun took another sip of her tea and decisively set the delicate china on the table before her. "After much pondering, I have decided that it would do little harm to send you back to your world for a short while," she said with dignity. "As soon as you have tied up your ends there, however, you must swear upon Suzaku's holy power that you shall return to this world immediately. There are lives that depend upon you, after all. You must never forget this."

   KC released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as her face lit with delight. "I won't forget it, I promise!" she gushed. "I swear I'll come back again, as soon as possible. Just as soon as I'm able to let everyone know I'm okay and to come up with some excuse why I'll be gone." Her brow furrowed. "I don't know what I'll tell everyone yet, especially about where I've been, but I'm sure I'll think of something. I'm good at improvising stories to keep myself out of trouble."

   "Oh really?" Tamahome nudged her in the side. "Just what kind of trouble are we talking about here?" he teased.

   She offered a glib shrug. "Oh, you know. Bank robbing, mugging, murder. Stealing candy from babies. The usual."

   "Uh." He blinked, nonplussed. "Y-you're joking, right?"

   She fixed him with her most deadpan stare. "No."

   He chuckled nervously and went back to shoveling food down his gullet.

   "So? When can we do this? _How_ do we do this?" KC turned her attention back to Taiitsukun. She practically bounced in her seat with eagerness. "Do I just, like, close my eyes and tap my heels together three times or something? I don't need to wear ruby slippers, do I? Red is _so_ not my color."

   "KC, we all understand your desire to go home, but perhaps you might first consider joining us in our morning repast," Hotohori suggested with amusement.

   "Er … right. Sorry." She settled sheepishly in her seat and picked up her chopsticks.

* * *

   Breakfast couldn't end soon enough. KC barely touched her food, only managing a few bites. Nerves and anticipation wouldn't let her eat more than that. She could hardly believe she was about to go home! When the others finally finished their own meals, everyone adjourned to the throne room, where Taiitsukun had KC kneel on the floor with her four Seishi surrounding her.

   "Because all seven of your Seishi have not yet been found, it will be more difficult to transport you back to your world," Taiitsukun warned her. "You must concentrate hard on your home, on the people you love, and wish with all of your heart to be there. As you do, your Seishi must focus their chi directly on you, to lend you strength to make the journey, and I shall send you across the dimension."

   "Got it. Um, how do I come back here again?"

   "By the same method you originally used to get here, of course," Taiitsukun replied impatiently. "The path you first followed to this world will still be open, so you should easily be able to traverse it again."

   "Right." KC hoped it would be that simple, and that the book was still in the same place she'd left it. So much time had passed already. What if it had been found and shipped back to China or something? It'd be a little hard to explain how she got into another country without a passport, and she was pretty sure most foreign countries wouldn't take kindly to illegal intrusion. _One problem at a time,_ she told herself firmly, before she could worry herself into a full-blown panic.

   "Everyone, focus your chi on the Priestess. KC, focus your thoughts on your family and friends, and _will_ yourself to be home. Let us begin!"

   "Wait!"

   The sudden command came from Hotohori. Everyone turned to stare at him, but he ignored them as he focused his gaze directly on KC in a very focused and unnerving manner.

   "Wh-what?" she squeaked. She had to fight the sudden urge to hide behind a Nyan-Nyan. "D-did I forget something?"

   "That isn't it," he replied quietly. He leaned forward and reached out to grasp her hands. "I simply wish to ask you…" He paused and took a deep breath. "Forgive me, KC, but I … I simply cannot let you go. Not without asking you, one last time, if you would please consent to wed me, and become my wife."

   " _Huh?_ " Her eyes went wide. "Uh, you mean right _now_? In front of _everyone_?" She looked around nervously, noted their stunned expressions. Obviously, they hadn't expected this any more than she had. She frowned at Hotohori; hadn't their conversation the night before sunk in at _all_?

   "Please." His voice and eyes entreated her as he softly kissed her hands. "I know what you told me. I understand how you feel, but I … I cannot bring myself to give up on you. And I cannot let you go without some proof that you really will return again."

   She glowered. "I already _told_ you I'd come back. Do you think I'm lying?" His lack of faith stung, and she attempted to jerk from his grasp.

   "No, of course not," he murmured. "I know you have more honor than that. But, if you would marry me, right now, it would ease my mind. It would give me something to hope for, to know that you would be tied to me as more than simply my Priestess. Taiitsukun could perform the necessary—"

   "You're not making any sense!" She glanced nervously at the other Seishi, who were trying _very_ hard to look as though they weren't listening. "What does us getting married have to do with whether or not I come back again?" She shook her head. "We already talked about this. Repeatedly! Don't you have any pride?"

   His smile was sad. "I'm afraid my pride has fled in the face of my longing for you," he admitted softly. "Perhaps I am a pathetic man, after all."

   "D-don't say that." She blushed profusely as she looked away, wishing for some help. "You're not pathetic. It's just—"

   "Hotohori."

   Taiitsukun's stern voice effectively brought the uncomfortable conversation to a halt, and all eyes turned to stare at her. She regarded the emperor with an expression that bordered on compassion. "Hotohori, I understand your desire to rush into things, given the encroaching war, but perhaps you do not understand the Priestess's position. Were you to wed her now, you would be expected to consummate your marriage, and get her with child, would you not? In these times, an heir is necessary, should anything happen to you."

   KC turned bright red and hastily moved away from the emperor, suddenly wishing they were alone. She could feel the stares of her Seishi boring into her and squirmed. What a conversation to hold in public!

   "Uh, yes." Hotohori's cheeks flushed. "It would be the … um … the next step. I admit that an heir is a necessity."

   "Perhaps you do not realize," Taiitsukun began, very gently, "that KC must remain a virgin if she is to summon the god and couple with him to gain his holy power. Were she to lose her innocence, she would lose the right to be the Priestess of Suzaku, and all hope of saving your land would be lost."

   " _What?_ "

   There was no telling who shouted the word first; it seemed to come from everyone at once.

"You mean if I wanna pull this off, I can't ever get laid?" KC protested. Her blush deepened as she hastily added, "Uh, not that I've got any intention of doing _that_ with _anyone_ right now."

   Hotohori remained silent for a long moment. "I … see," he finally murmured. "Then, it is truly impossible for us to be together."

   "At least until Suzaku is summoned," Tamahome clarified helpfully, and abruptly went flying, courtesy of Nuriko's fist.

   "Don't go giving him any ideas!"

   "Look, I get it, okay? I gotta stay a virgin. That's not gonna be a problem, so can we get _on_ with this already?" KC pleaded. While she inwardly cringed at the open disappointment on Hotohori's face, she was also a little relieved. No matter how flattering it was to have such a gorgeous, sophisticated man practically falling all over himself to be with her, she couldn't help but feel a bit cornered by his refusal to back down. Even though she enjoyed being with him, and _really_ enjoyed the way he held and kissed her, she _didn't_ like his constant pressuring to make such a huge commitment to him. Still, now that he knew for sure she couldn't be the one he wanted, maybe he'd ease up in his pursuit a little. _I wish he didn't hurt so much over it, though,_ she thought unhappily. She hated to see such desolation in his eyes. It made her feel guilty for being the one to put it there.

   The conversation brought to an end, everyone resumed their former positions and began to concentrate on the task at hand. KC knelt in the middle of the floor and closed her eyes, fisted her hands on her lap, and tried with all her might to think of home.

   It was harder than she'd expected to maintain concentration. No matter how many times she pictured her mother's face, Hotohori's sad gaze managed to shove its way forward. And then her legs began to cramp up from being squashed in such an uncomfortable position. Soon after that, her nose began to itch. She hardly dared to move, but if she could just reach up really slowly to scratch it—

   "Katriana Choinski! Maintain your concentration! You are wasting your Seishi's precious energy!" Taiitsukun bellowed.

   "Yes! Sorry!" she yelped, jumping in her seat. She squinched her eyes more tightly, forcefully shoved all distractions from her mind, and concentrated with all her might on home, her friends, her family. _There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home,_ she chanted inwardly, for extra measure.

   At first, it seemed like nothing was going to happen. But just when it felt as though she would either start screaming or just fall over, a warm glow began to surround her. Startled, she opened her eyes, only to realize that the room before her was disappearing into a familiar red light. "Wha—!" she gasped. "Uh … um… Bye, guys! I'll see you in awhile!" she managed to get out, and then the room vanished completely, and she found herself once again being tumbled through the endless black vortex toward home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for Book 2, coming soon to a monitor near you!


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